


Uprising

by helladeadinside



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Anime, Blood, Cussing, Gore, Guns, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, M/M, POV Eren Yeager, POV Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Reincarnation, Student Eren Yeager, Titan Eren Yeager, Violence, attack on titan - Freeform, shingeki no kyojin - Freeform, snk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-27 02:58:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 56,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1712471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helladeadinside/pseuds/helladeadinside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Present Day Reincarnation AU- Levi notices the newer kid, Eren Jaeger, right off the bat. Eren has isolated himself for the past 7 years due to life altering memories of his mothers death. The two had thought to have known each other, though not remembering doing so. Once Levi realizes, he soon finds out there could be much more at stake than deciding on what college to go to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jaeger's Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyeeee wassup guys so this is my first work on here. i just got my account, so it took me a while to really figure out how to navigate and shit so now i've pretty much figured this out. i have this story on fanfiction.net (username: BirdCannotFly)  
> so i hope you enjoy the following :^)

Uprising

Chapter 1: Jaeger's Return

Levi

"Come on..." I mumbled to the car ahead of mine. Traffic was always horrible around this time of the day. My hand slammed down on the horn in the middle of my steering wheel. The guy in front of me stuck his hand out his window, flipping me off. My face twisted in a grimace. How rude. But then again, I probably would have done the same thing. Finally, the long line of cars moved forward. Slowly, but surely. I put my car out of park to begin driving, when someone bolted out from the trees stopped by the cross walk on the pavement in front of my car.

I stopped and signaled to the citizen to cross. The person, who happened to be a boy, wore a black letterman jacket with a leather mid-section and denim sleeves. The dark blue, denim, hood covered his head from the rain droplets drizzling from the sky. His head angled down, I was unable to see his face.

His legs were clad in blue wash jeans and he wore black Chucks. He crossed quickly. When a gust of wind blew the boys hood off of his head. He was actually... kind of attractive.

Hazelnut brown hair mopped his head. It fell in delicate waves and ended at the base of his neck. His face turned slightly in my direction as he reached back to pull his hood back up. I didn't get a very good look, but I got a flash of bright and beautiful turquoise eyes. The sight of that boys eyes caused something in me to mentally collapse. They seemed horribly familiar.

The car behind me honked. It was then I realized I was staring after the stranger. Shaking my head to get rid of the cloudy feeling in my brain, I drove on. I pulled into Trost High, unwillingly of course. I picked up my black book-bag, filled to the brim with books so thick you could knock a damn elephant out with them.

School was probably my least favorite thing about life at the moment. You put twenty to thirty tired, stressed, over-worked teenagers who are constantly nagged to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives in one stuffy and overly crowded room. They all expect you to learn the same way as the kid next to you who happens to be an auditory learner while yourself are a tactile. To top it all off, we have to deal with teachers who think they're better than you because they're older. You may be older; but you're still an asshole.

With a great sigh, I heaved my thirty pound bag on my desk in first period. That's another thing. Did they really expect us to carry ten and up pounds of shit in our bags? Gee, if I pull my back out-of-place, I'd be sure to thank these fuckers. I dropped tiredly into the chair, ready, but not really, to start another day of school.

My eyes sullenly drooped closed. Sleep didn't come easy to me. Maybe it would if it weren't for the nightmares that have haunted me for almost my entire life. They started when I was young. And ever since they haven't stopped. I'd learn to deal with running very little on sleep. Probably an hour every night. If I'm lucky, two. I've been dragged and forced to multiple therapists and doctors in the study of human sleeping patterns. No one could help me besides offering sleeping medication. They were disturbing dreams to say the least. It always started off with me screaming. Like, something that would scar me for life. Then there was blood. Normally, blood wouldn't do shit to me. But it was like I knew the blood was from someone I cared about. Then... someone's blank, dead face. I could never remember who it was or what they looked like when I woke up. It sounded stupid to be so terrified for so long of such an unimportant sounding dream, but it honestly was my biggest fear in the world. There's nothing I hate more than going to sleep because I know I'd wake up in a cold sweat and almost crying every damn time.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"Oi, Levi!" I was pushed forward from a hand coming down on my back like a friendly slap. My eyes jerked open. I looked over to see Hanji grinning stupidly.

"What?" I mumbled.

"How was your weekend?" She smiled while seating herself next to me.

"Same as always, Four Eyes." I grumbled, using my nickname for Hanji. It was a wonder she still considered me her friend. How anyone considered me their friend. I treated almost everyone like shit.

"So how much did you sleep last night?" Hanji knew basically everything about me. In a way, you could consider us best friends. She certainly did. And whether I was willing to admit it or not, I did too.

"A little more than an hour." I answered simply, a yawn hitching the end of my words.

"Boo. I wish those damn nightmares would stop." She replied. I nodded immediately.

"You and me both."

"Maybe if you got more sleep, you wouldn't be such a downer all the time. I wonder what that's like. Levi; in a good mood. It's almost too crazy to even think about." I had to agree with her on that one. Maybe I would be nicer if I actually ran on eight to ten hours of sleep. It was a nice thought. "So, did you hear about the new kid?" Hanji said suddenly.

"Nope. And I couldn't care less." Just then, someone walked in. Not just someone; no. It was him. The kid who passed my car on the cross walk this morning. Why was this damn brat so important to me? I didn't even know his name.

"Okay, everyone. We have a new student today. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Mr. Smith acknowledged the class for the first time that morning with a light and playful tone. Now that I could see the mysterious boy clearer, he really was attractive. His olive skin made his hauntingly beautiful turquoise eyes stand out even more than they already did. He was tall. Taller than me, anyways. But that wasn't surprise. A lot of people were taller than me. One of the many defaults of genetics. His hair hung loosely around his V-shaped jaw line.

"Alright. Well, I'm Eren Jaeger. Some of you may remember me. I used to live here until the end of elementary school." He shrugged. I didn't know him. Certainly, I would remember him. Sadly, I moved here mid-middle school years. All of the sudden, the chair next to me clattered as it hit the floor. Hanji had practically flown from her seat.

"Eren!" She yelled excitedly, her arm waving in the air to get the kids attention. I hid my face, embarrassed for Hanji. Luckily, Eren remembered her.

"Hey, Hanji." He smiled. I swear I heard some of the girls swoon.

"Tch..." I scoffed under my breath. "Sit down. You look fucking ridiculous."

"Hm?" Hanji asked, looking down at me as her arm stood still in the air. Quietly, I groaned.

Eventually, found a reasonable seat for the brat. The only thing I was able to pay attention to was the teenage hormones disgustingly traveling through the air. The girls looked like they were about to jump Eren. I guess I looked more pissed off than usual because Hanji kept looking at me. And so would the people in front of me. Was I giving off some visible waves of negativity or some shit?

"What the hell are you staring at?" I hissed to the boy who turned to look at me. Quickly, he returned his attention to the front board. With a huff, I leaned back into my chair. The lecture was boring. As always. And I pretty much never paid attention. I just let my eyes roam around the room. They crossed over the new kid. He was already staring at me with big and confused eyes. Anyone else in this situation would immediately look away.

But I'm not just "anyone".

So, we had a staring contest. He didn't seem to be looking anywhere else anytime soon. That was fine. I could look at his beautiful eyes all damn day. Sure, he'll think I'm weird. But, hell, who doesn't in this school? Eren's eyebrow perked up as if saying "really, we're doing this?". Mine arched up too, in a challenging manor. Why were we doing this? We haven't even said a single damn word to each other. It was broken when a sharp and bony elbow jabbed my side. I flinched and held my side. Hanji was the only one who could deliver such painful elbow jabs while barely trying.

"Damn, Hanji. What?" I whispered angrily.

"Why were you and Eren staring at each other like that?" She asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. He started it." I replied, crossing my arms like a child. She slapped my shoulder and returned her attention to the lesson.

Within the time span of about two hours, lunch rolled around. Without even glancing at the over sized cafeteria line, I went to sought out the usual table. I found it and sat in my usual stop next to Hanji with Jean on the other side.

"'Aye, Levi. How's it going?" Jean said, turning a little to look at me. Jean was one of the few people in the school who actually accepted that I was an asshole all the time. He could be an asshole at points too.

"Alright. Tired as hell." I mumbled while running my hands through my raven black hair. I heard him scoff in acknowledgement. I smirked. Once everyone was gathered at the table, Hanji opened her giant mouth.

"So, guys, guess who's back in Trost?" She yelled excitedly. Did they all know Eren from before? Armin set his milk down.

"Who?" He asked.

"Er-" She was cut off by Eren himself sauntering up to the table. Everyone seemed... In shock. Armin looked like he was going to have a fucking heart attack.

"E-Eren?" Armin gasped in wonder. Eren smiled.

"Armin." He only said.

"Well. Shit." Jean mumbled. I looked over at him. He had a ghost of a smile, but he didn't seem as happy as the others.

"Eren!" Connie screamed and jumped from his seat. He basically attacked Eren's shoulders. He only laughed, and he had an adorable laugh. Everything about him was adorable. It was disgusting.

"Connie, man. You haven't changed." Eren chuckled.

"You're back in Trost?" Armin asked when Eren sat down next to him. It happened to be right across from me.

"Yeah. Shiganshina wasn't working out for our family, ya know?" He said. A sadder meaning felt buried in his simple answer.

"Is Mikasa back then, too?" Jean asked. Eren's eyes, which were bright and happy, hardened.

"Of course." Eren answered, his voice showing discomfort. Jean nodded, smirking. "She has a boyfriend now."

Jean froze. "...Does she?"

Eren nodded.

The atmosphere was basically fogged with unspoken hatred. I had a feeling Jean and Eren didn't like each other before, and still don't.

"Or are you just saying that?" Jean mumbled.

"Sorry, what was that?" Eren said a little louder. I could jump in to stop the impending fight, but it was kind of entertaining.

"You heard me, asshole!" Jean yelled while leaning towards Eren across the table.

"I couldn't decipher it through all the neighing, horse face!" I couldn't help it. I broke out cackling while everyone was trying to calm them down. Hanji looked at me like I was insane. I didn't laugh much. But Eren's come back was too good to be true.

"The last time you called me horse face, I pushed you off the swings in fifth grade!" Jean shouted back.

"Yeah, and I'm sure no one has called you horse face in years. I'm just trying to pick up the slack, horse face!" Jean looked like he was about to throw a punch, so I stepped in.

"Oi! Jean, sit your horse ass down. And Jaeger? Shut the fuck up." I said. Jean looked at me, then back at Eren. Slowly while glaring at him, he sat back down.

"Oh, and you are?" Eren looked at me. It didn't sound like he was trying to be a smart ass. He just literally didn't know who I was.

"Levi." I answered simply. He nodded.

"You're in my first period class aren't you?" He said. I had a feeling we weren't going to talk about our stare down. That was alright with me. I nodded.

"Yep." He made a sound as if saying "okay". Everyone was looking at us like we were insane. Probably because we'd started having another staring contest. It was weird beyond comprehension. Eren Jaeger literally seemed so familiar to me.

"So, Eren..." Armin said next to him. We finally broke and I looked over at Hanji instead. She bored a confused expression. She was about to ask but I shook my head. "How is Mikasa? And your parents?" Eren's face dropped.

"Mikasa is fine. And my parents... My mom died a few years ago." He smiled sadly. I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"What?! Really?" Armin replied. Eren nodded while scratching the back of his neck. "Oh, man. I'm sorry, Eren. Your mom was real nice."

"Yeah. But, it was years ago. I've had my time to mourn." Something told me he wasn't telling the complete truth. Lunch went fast. A few awkward moments where Eren and I would look at each other happened. I still could not put my finger on why he seemed so damn familiar. I was almost sure I had never met him before. Shrugging it off, I headed to my third period class. None of my friends were in it. It was kind of a boring class without Hanji whispering things about her wanting me to pay attention.

I sat in my seat and stared out the window. The sky was blue and clouds were scarce. The wind blew and the trees shook. A bird flew over head. It was a raven, from what I could tell. A small smile upturned my lips. When it came to birds, I loved them. And I was envious. I'd always wondered what it would be like to fly. You know, have wings. It's been an obsession of mine ever since I can remember. I'd spend hours just looking at the sky, imagining myself dip below the clouds. It would make me feel so free. With a sigh, I knew it was idiotic to think about. We're human. Obviously, we weren't meant to have wings. It was a sad thought.

It was May, so that meant the end of the school year and the beginning of summer vacation would be here soon. It was about the only thing I looked forward to every year. I mean, there wasn't much I did during the summer. But that was the point, wasn't it? I turned to see if class was starting. I almost jumped out of my damn chair when I noticed Eren in the seat next to mine. Guess who he was staring at?

"Shit, what the hell, Jaeger? Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack?" I chastised him. He just smirked. I didn't scare him one bit. A lot of people in school are scared shitless of me because I yell a lot. And I was kind of scary at times. It wasn't my fault that my natural face always made me look like I wanted to kill someone.

"'Course not. What would I do that for?" He replied, only shaking his head and crossing his arms. I scoffed.

"You have third period here?" I mumbled.

"Yeah. This is math, right?" Eren asked. I sighed.

"No." I replied.

"What, really?" He said with alarm.

"I'm kidding. Couldn't you tell?" I said while pointing at my neutral expression. I hardly ever joked around, and when I did I always bored the same expression. None at all.

"Er, no." He mumbled.

"Good."

That class passed at snails pace. Probably because I got annoyed with Eren the whole time. He kept looking at me. He didn't know I could tell, but I could. Deciding to confront him about it after school, I waited almost impatiently. Fourth period slipped by as fast, if not slower, as third did. Probably because I had that class with Jean. He kept complaining about Eren most of the time. I found it, honestly, hilarious.

"You know, now I see why Jaeger calls you horse face. You do have the slight resemblance of one." I mumbled to him while letting my eyes skim the words of my history book. Jeans temper rose. Steam practically billowed from his nostrils and ears. "Easy, Seabiscuit." To which he groaned and rubbed his hands on his face.

Eren walked alone along the parking lot. He didn't walk fast. His feet dragged across the pavement insistently as he looked at his surroundings. Ear-buds stuck in his ears insinuated music was playing from some device in his pocket. The words of the song left his lips in periodic breaths. I had to stop and just appreciate how beautiful Eren Jaeger really was. He seemed so at peace.

"Jaeger." I whispered. I meant to yell it, to get his attention. But the sight left me almost speechless. "Jaeger!" I actually yelled this time. I tried not to sound mad, because I just wanted to talk to him.

Suddenly, he turned with a deer in the headlights look. The right ear-bud fell out and dangled lifelessly. While he stared at me incredulously, I'd been able to walk closer to him.

"What?" He asked animatedly.

"I'm going to get straight to the damn point. Why do you keep staring at me all the time? Am I just too pretty or something?" As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them. I could have left it alone. My decisions don't really pan out the way I expect them to. It produces intensely situations and me feeling like a total dope for a while.

He seemed surprised at the question.

"I-I don't know how to answer that without getting a fist to my face." He replied honestly. I had to give him that one. He seemed to be the kind of person who thought things out before running his mouth. I shrugged.

"To think you understand me more than some people I've known for years." Which was a weird thing to say to someone who you only met during lunch, but in retrospect, I recall I punched Connie in the head for saying that my eyes were always slit because I always looked tired. Connie and I have been friends since the eighth grade.

"Um, okay." Eren replied. I probably was freaking him out a little.

"Have I met you before today?" I asked him, blunt as always. He looked at me like I just cured cancer.

"Why, do I seem familiar?" Eren asked me as if he already knew and experienced my answer.

"No, I was just curious." I remarked sarcastically.

"Because you seem familiar to me. But, since you were just curious, I guess I'd better keep it to myself." He smirked and threw his hands up. How dare he turn my sarcasm back to bite me in the ass. This kid had guts.

"Alright, enough messing around. I'll ask again; Have I met you before today?" I growled. It made no difference on Eren's expression. My efforts to frighten the new kid became futile. He just didn't care. He sighed. It made me realize that we had gotten close. So close that his breath feathered over my face. It smelled like mint gum. Our eye contact had not broken.

"No. I'm almost positive that we have not met before today. Happy?" Eren replied evenly as he took a step back like he had also just realized how close we were. It honestly made a bundle of nerves coil in my stomach. Everything about Eren Jaeger made me on edge. With that, he plugged his ear-buds back into his ears and stepped away. Eren left me standing there, wondering what the fuck was going on.

Once I walked in through the front door, I called for my parents.

"I'm home!" I yelled.

"Welcome home, Levi. How was school?" My mom poked her head out through the kitchen way, smiling as she rolled two pounds of meat in her hands. I shrugged.

"Fine." I mumbled.

"Did anything interesting happen?" After a pause. I shook my head as I entered the small but somewhat homey kitchen. My dad stood at the opposing counter, stirring a bowl of tomato sauce. It was Monday, and Monday meant meatloaf night. 

"Liar." My dad smirked, looking over his shoulder. I looked at him incredulously. How the fuck does he do that? "I'm a dad. I have to be able to decipher a lie from the truth."

"I just don't know how you do it." I mumbled, leaning against the counter. Mom smiled at us.

"So, what did happen?" She badgered.

"Seriously, nothing worth mentioning." I groaned.

"Is it a boy?" My mom asked. My dad instantly stopped shaking a bottle of worcestershire over the bowl and looked at me. They both looked at me, expectantly. I gulped.

"N-Not really... I mean... I don't know..." I didn't even finish my half ass sentence before my dad jumped in.

"What's his name? Tell us about him?" They seemed severely interested. I groaned, covering my burning face. I don't know shit about Eren. He could hardly be considered a "crush".

"Eren." I grumbled unhappily. "But it's nothing. Seriously. We've barely spoken. I mean, he's already friends with all of mine. He used to live in Trost until the end of elementary school when his family moved to Shiganshina." There was a pregnant silence.

"Eren Jaeger?" My dad finally spoke. It surprised me. I nodded extensively, waiting for him to explain. "His dad, Grisha Jaeger, used to be Trost's wealthiest doctor. They were a very well liked family. Eventually, Mikasa was adopted in the Jaegers. Grisha moved his family to Shiganshina and lived there until this year.

Eren's mother was brutally murdered when Eren was ten. It's was a very hush-hush type of story, but me being cop, I have access to the information.

Now, I'm not sure if this part is true, but I heard Eren's mother was killed right in front of him. In their house in Shiganshina. What happened was someone broke into the house. With Grisha being as wealthy and popular as he was, people probably targeted him all the time. Grisha wasn't home at the time, but the mother and Eren were. His mom tried to protect him with a butcher knife but they got a hold of it and stabbed his mom. I think there were around ten or so stab wounds. Eren, being only ten, didn't know what to do. But he jumped in front of his mom and tried protecting her, the poor kid. He suffered a few stab wounds himself before Grisha got home and called the police. Eren's mom was pronounced dead and Eren was in a coma for a few weeks. It was a pretty horrible time for them.

From what I heard, the Jaegers only went down from there." My mouth hung open. Was all that true?

"Shit..." I mumbled.

At least I knew the topic of family was a good topic to stay away from when talking to him.


	2. iHop Adventures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Warnings: Language, angst, triggering topics, etc.)

Uprising

Chapter 2: iHop Adventures

Eren

The door hurled shut behind me as I entered the house cheap and crappy looking house. Dad no longer worked, but Mikasa and I did.

"Mikasa! I'm home!" I shouted to the empty void. There was bustling on the stairs. Mikasa came flying down them in a rush. She tackled me and covered my mouth with her hand.

"Shh. Dad passed out. Do you want him to wake up?" She threatened. My stomach twisted. I hadn't seen his car in the driveway, so I assumed he wasn't home. I shook my head and nudged her hand away.

"I didn't know he was home." I whispered. She rolled her eyes.

"Where else would he be besides the bar?" I shrugged because it was true. Dad never left to go anywhere besides the bar to drink until the bartender would force him out.

"How was school?" She asked while moving silently to the kitchenette. I followed suit.

"Alright. Armin goes there." Mikasa seemed surprised.

"Tell him we all need to hang out sometime." Armin would love that. He missed the trio. Mikasa, Armin and I would always bike to the park. Or we would go to Armin's grandfather's house to just hang out.

"And Jean is still as obsessed with you as ever." I mumbled and rolled my eyes at remembering the argument at lunch that Levi had to break up before it got too bad. Levi... He was an interesting person. An asshole, but that doesn't bother me. I've had to deal with more than my fair share of assholes in Shiganshina. Levi is an angel compared to the kids in Shiganshina. Levi kind of has that look that says he doesn't care about you unless you're a problem. From the way things are going, I might be considered a problem. But that's okay. Because no matter what Levi does, I can't bring myself to feel scared or offended. With the way he acts, people in school must not like him very much. It was kind of strange to see him in the group of people I consider friends.  
Armin didn't seem afraid of him, but Armin hardly ever gets on anyone nerves. He's, in general, a quiet kid who cares way too much about academics. But he could surprise you sometimes by creating clever plans to get out of trouble. It was why I always counted on Armin.

Something about Levi made me squirm. When he looked at me for extensive periods of time, I can literally feel my nerves bunch in an uncomfortable, but not entirely unwelcome, way. I can't help but stare back at those cold, steely gray eyes. We both knew each other, whether we could remember it or not.

"Eren?" Mikasa snapped her fingers in my face to get my attention. Once I focused in, I noticed the frown on her features.

"What?"

"I said that Jean is kind of creepy. What were you thinking about?" She asked as she balanced two plates with a single sandwich on each. She handed one to me and I took it, grateful for the first thing I've eaten today.

"Nothing." I answered instantly.

"Was it about someone-" She was cut off by the sound a door being thrown open upstairs. It hit the wall and caused the noise to ring throughout the otherwise silent house. I gulped as Mikasa and I looked at each other in alarm. There was no where to go, I couldn't leave, I couldn't run upstairs to my room. Dad, stumbling drunk, came down the stairs and looked at Mikasa and I.

"You." He pointed at me. I swallowed the fear building in my throat. "Where were you all day?" He yelled, his voice slow and disabled sounding.

"School, Dad. Remember? I started at Trost today." I answered as nice as possible. He grumbled and tripped over his feet to get closer to me. Mikasa tried to go in front of me, an act of sisterly protection she's showed all these years. I looked at her and shook my head. She was a pretty good fighter, but not against Dad's drunken wrath. All the muscle I've acquired over the years bulked my shoulders. My legs were pretty strong, too. I bike everywhere, so that's where that came from. Mikasa was nudged by my shoulder to stay behind me.

"Oh yeah." He said. He'd gotten so close to me I could smell the whiskey tainting his breath. Rage encompassed his face. "She's gone..." Oh no. Every now and then Dad would suddenly get angry because he remembered what happened to my mom. He blames me for it, of course. I wasn't sure why, though. I tried to protect her. I stood in those asshole's way. Of course, being only a kid, they cut me down like a twig. "She's gone, because of you!" He screamed, his eyes setting ablaze.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Mikasa shouted. He did this a lot, and Mikasa had always wanted to say something about it, but she was always too scared. She did now though. Dad turned towards her and rose his hand back. He was going to hit her. Without a second thought, I jumped between Mikasa and the incoming fist. He hit me right on the jaw. My head swung to the left on impact. Pain wrung down my jaw and my neck. Damn, he had a pretty good right hook. Even when drunk. Mikasa gasped.

"E-Eren..." She felt horrible.

"I'm fine. Just go to your room." I mumbled. She ran to the stairs. My dad was about to follow suit, but I caught his attention. "No, I'm right here. I'm the one you're mad at. Not her!" Dad instantly swiveled around to face me.

For the next hour, my dad kicked my sides, punched me in the face, threw me into the wall. And I took it all without so much as the lift of my hand. All the while, he called me useless, a horrible son and person, and just some plain old insults. Each insult was like another punch to the ribs. I never will understand why my perfect family had to be ruined. This isn't what things were supposed to be like. My mom was supposed to make cookies and garden with me while my dad took me to the park and baseball games. I don't even like baseball, but I wanted to go to one. Mikasa and I are still pretty close, that hasn't changed. What the hell happened to the dad I used to love?

Oh, yeah. He found the love of his life in a puddle of blood, dead.

I walked to school the next day with a slight limp. Somehow, during the altercation between me and dad last night, my ankle had been twisted. There was a bruise along my jaw, which I was pretty sure got knocked out of place. I had to push it back into place last night after I hid in my room, nursing my wounds. It hurt like a bitch and now it was sore like hell. People were certainly going to be curious. What kind of excuse could I come up with for this? I could say I fell down the stairs and hit my jaw off the railing? Not the best excuse, but it should satisfy the questions.

My hood drawn up over my head and face slanted towards the ground, I dragged my sore body into first period. I sat in the same seat as yesterday. Things were fine for the meantime, even when Levi decided on taking his seat next to me today. I didn't mind he was there in general, but it would make it harder to keep my bruised face from his line of sight.

"Oi, brat. What's up with you today?" Levi noticed. It wasn't a surprise. He's a pretty perceptive person, in all honesty.

"Nothing." I mumbled, voice slightly hoarse. I cleared my throat, trying to fix it. Levi stared at me from the side, clearly not buying my reply. As he was about to protest, Mr. Smith spoke up.

"Sorry, Eren. No hoods or hats in school. Please take it down." He reminded me in a soothing tone. I gulped and let the hood fall back off my head. Mr. Smith flinched at the sight of my bruised and battered face, but chose not to mention it.

"What the fuck is that?" Levi said, taking the chance to put his fingers under my chin to turn towards him. Levi stared at my face apprehensively. He poked the tender skin around the bruise along my jaw line. I flinched back because it sent a dull and throbbing pain all down my face. I sucked air between my teeth."What the hell happened, Jaeger?" A pinpoint of sympathy in his usually cold and uncaring voice.

"It's fine. I fell down some stairs. No big deal." I told him. The lie left a bitter taste on my tongue.

"No you didn't." He answered simply. He felt no need to elaborate. Levi sat back and didn't say a word to me the rest of class.

Lunch would be a mess. Everyone would be asking me about it. What they didn't know about, thanks to lengthy clothing, was that more bruises covered my entire body. Mostly my chest and stomach. Thank God they had no excuse to see more of my body.

I slumped down into my seat across from Levi and next to Armin.

"Eren, holy shit!" Connie gasped, pointing at my face.

"What happened? That looks painful." Jean said, surprisingly considerate compared to his normal horse face attitude.

"Eren...?" I closed my eyes while the table erupted into frantic comments. I was just waiting for it to all be over.

"I fell down the stairs at home. It's nothing." I lied.  
Levi glared at me, mad that I was lying to all my friends. I shot back the angriest look I could muster. It wasn't my fault my dad was a bitter, old, violent fucking drunk who hates me for some reason God only knows. All the attention was smothering me. In a quick movement, I stood up, knocking my chair to the ground.

"I think I need some air." I mumbled, not looking at anyone. I charged out the side doors. Anger and rage pulsed through my vanes. Not being able to keep it in, I let out an anguished cry and turned to punch the brink wall. I launched my fists at the wall multiple times before stopping from exhaustion. My knuckles were torn open and blood leaked all over my hands. I couldn't care less.

"Yeah, air and some anger management." A solid and cool voice sounded from behind me. My anger was instantly replaced with regret. Instead of helping the situation, I had only made myself look ridiculous in front of Levi and shredded my knuckles open.

"That'd be nice." I answered breathlessly. My tired and aching body slumped into the wall as I slid down into a sitting position. Levi walked over and sat down next to me. I didn't dare look at him. My hand was picked up and tugged. I looked over to see Levi analyzing my injured knuckles.

"Well, you made mincemeat of your knuckles. I should get some bandages from my car..." the last part sounded like he meant to be saying it to himself.

"No need." I grumbled. That didn't stop him from heading across the lot to his black SUV. Any other time, I would have stopped him. But I was too damn tired to fight anymore. He returned shortly with a first aid kit. Levi sat back down and offered for him to take one of my hands. Begrudgingly, I sighed and sat my bloodied hand in Levi 's.

"So, are you going to elaborate on what the hell is going on or..." Levi asked me, his sentence fading off. I kept quiet as I focused on Levi 's furrowed brow. At some point, his eyes lifted up to catch mine.

"It was um..." I was actually going to tell him? Why? I didn't know him. Not really. "My dad." I finished in a mumble. Levi 's grip on my hand tightened as he cleaned the wounds. He spared a look up at me. "I'm fine. Honestly. I'm used to it."

"Are there more bruises than the one on your face?" My silence answered for me. He sighed as he wrapped the bandage on my right hand and then offered to take my left. "Do they hurt?" Levi looks up into my eyes again. His eyes seemed so open. I had to look away. Tears welled in my eyes but I'd be damned if they spilled over. Levi huffed at my silence. My hands both now fully bandaged as we just sat out on the parking lot. "Is it because of what happened to your mom?" Instantly my silence was broken.

"How the hell do you know about that?" I yelled. The story was suppose to have been kept quiet. He shrugged as if my outburst had no effect on him.

"My dad's a cop. He told me about it when I mentioned you." My stomach launched into my throat. He mentioned me? To his family? Why did that make me feel so excited that I thought I would puke? I let out a sigh.

"Okay. So, you know." I relented. I leaned back and became suddenly interested in the newly placed bandages around my hands.

"Then it's true?" He asked. I could not deny an issue that has bothered me for so long.

"Depends on what you know." He looked at me and I looked at him.

"Well... Some crazy assholes broke into your house, stole a knife from your mom and killed her with it, and you got caught in the cross-fire. After wards, you were in a coma for a few weeks. Sound about right to you?" Levi in a matter of fact tone. I scoffed. He made it sound so simple. The experience was, of course, much different than the explanation.

"Pretty much. Except, I only got caught in the cross-fire because I jumped in between the so called assholes and my mom. I mean, I was ten. There was nothing much else I could do, you know? At first, they pushed me aside like I didn't matter. But I kept getting in the way. My mom told me to run, find help, save myself. Of course, I didn't. I felt like I had the duty of protecting her. And now that I think about it, if I had just listened to her, she might be alive today." I sighed as the reality hit me. "I understand why Dad blames me now..." I mumbled, more to myself than Levi.

"Bullshit." He told me, anger flowing in his words with intensity. "You were ten! What the hell were you going to do? Pull out a gun and let out some cheesy movie line?! Fuck, no!"

"Nothing can excuse me from the fact I could have run out the house and got the neighbor! I may have been young, but I wasn't stupid. I was, now that I realize. There's nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise. My mom is dead, and I might as well have been the one who plunged that knife into her chest ten fucking times." Anger pulsed in my chest, wracking my whole body. How could I have been so fucking dumb?! The longer I thought about this, the more I understood why my dad hated me as much as he does.

"Eren, breathe. You're mad, I see that, but you look like you're about to fucking pass out." I knew Levi was serious when he used my first name and not my last. Maybe it would be a blessing.

"If I pass out, then so be it." I mumbled as I wrenched my fingers through my scraggly brown hair, pulling at the roots. Hands gripped my wrists and tore them from my head. Levi had take my arms and held them away from me.

"Stop. Just stop thinking, stop stressing yourself out, and stop blaming yourself. Despite what your dad tells you and what you think, none of this is your fault. Please get that through your thick ass skull, or I'll force it in there." He leaned over me, gripping my wrists tightly. His eyes intensely caught mine. Levi's hands shook slightly. Thing, long fingers wrapped around my wrists. It wasn't frightening in the least. More comforting, to be honest. I sighed and looked away.

"Sorry. I have these kind of self-worthlessness episodes some times." They happened quite often, but I had never thought that it was my fault my mom died. I thought I as brave and I helped. How stupid did that sound. With a huff, he let go of my wrists and leaned away. He flopped back into a sitting position and we didn't say anything for a while.

"You wanna go get something to eat?" He said out of no where. I looked at him dubiously.

"We're kind of in school right now, Levi." I reminded him. He shrugged.

"Skipping half the day won't kill ya'." He pointed at me. I gulped. How could he suggest to just leave when it was only my second day here? "Come on. Live a little, brat. Do something 'impulsive' for once in your damn life." Does jumping in front of two knife wielding robbers count as something impulsive? I almost said this before I caught myself. That would be an incredibly dumb thing to say. I thought about going to math and how much I really hated math.

"Fine. If we get in trouble, you forced me." I grumbled. I caught the victorious smirk on his face.

"Whatever." He tried to hide the smirk, as he was unable to do so. What I said next flew out of my mouth without my permission.

"You should smile more often...It looks good." I said lamely. My eyes widened at what I had allowed him to actually hear. See, this is why I have next to no friends. He looked at me and rose his eyebrow in question.

"Really?" He asked, surprised.

"Well, I mean, um... It's just you're so serious all the time and you're never in a good mood and well you have nice teeth..." I caught myself rambling in a sorry excuse of an attempt at digging myself out of the whole I dug myself into. Levi's lip twitched like he was going to smile again.

"Shut up, idiot." He told me, but not in a mean way. Like an adoring way. I sighed. When was I going to learn that the things in my head do not sound as good as they do out loud? "Let's go."

We'd chosen to go to iHop. I'd never been there, but Levi said their pancakes were amazing. I swear to God my blood pressure skyrocketed just looking at all the different style of pancakes. When I told him I had no money to pay, he looked at me like "are you fucking kidding me like that actually just came out of your mouth". He assured me that he would pay and it wouldn't be a problem. That didn't stop the guilt gnawing at my stomach. We talked about him while we waited for the food. He ordered a stack of banana and cinnamon pancakes, claiming they were his favorite. I had ordered a somewhat smaller part of what he got- two pancakes instead of five, if Levi could even eat that many -and they were regular with strawberry sauce instead of maple syrup. My mouth had practically watered at the sight of them. The only thing I had to eat was like two bites of a sandwich Mikasa had prepared for me the night before. I realized that I was just staring at the beautiful sight of steaming hot pancakes topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream.

"Well, you gonna eat them or put them up for display?" Levi asked, taking a bite off his fork. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment. It'd been so long since I had a proper meal, or had even gone out to eat at an actual restaurant.

"Uh, yeah." I mumbled before cutting off a piece, dragging it along the strawberry sauce and whipped cream along the plate. I stared at it for a second before plopping it into my mouth. Who knew a simply delicious pancake could cause a small moan of pleasure. My cheeks heated up even more as I remembered Levi sat right across from me. I looked at him with a mortified look. The amusement on his face was debatable to be something else. I wasn't sure what. A snorting laugh came from him. Levi. He snorted a laugh.

"Haven't had pancakes in a while?" He guessed with a playful grin.

"More like I haven't had real food in a while..." I mumbled with disdain. It was so low I didn't think Levi would catch it. Apparently, he did. The grin disappeared and was replaced by a stern look. He didn't reply and it made my incredible mood crash and burn. Can I not learn to keep shit like that to myself? How can I be so clueless?

"...Sorry." I instantly felt the need to apologize.

"You say that a lot.' Levi stated while eating more of his pancakes.

"What?" I looked at him, confused.

"'Sorry'. You don't have to apologize all the time. Mostly because don't do anything worth apologizing for." I glanced down at my food and almost, almost, apologized again.

"Sometimes I don't know what else to say." I shrugged as I ate more of my pancakes.

"Maybe you don't have to say anything at all sometimes." And with that, it was like silence was clear. We didn't talk for the rest of the meal, just ate and looked at each other. We stared at each other for about eighty percent of the time without it being weird or awkward.

"Coldplay is way better than Maroon 5. End of story, you shitty brat." Levi replied. We'd literally just been sitting in his car, listening to his vast music selection. After eating, it had only been around two o'clock. Without a word, Levi drove us to the seaside. He parked in a parking section that over looked the ocean, which certainly beautiful sight. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Absolutely not. I have two words for you." I said. He rose his eyebrows as an invitation to continue. I held up one finger. "Adam," then the second. "Levine. And that's my only argument besides his voice is like the production of five angels harmonizing." I didn't know if he had gotten the insinuation that I meant I found Adam Levine attractive or not. He threw his hands up in frustration.

"You know, there are more people in Maroon 5 besides Adam Levine? People seem to forget that. And Adam Levine isn't the only attractive guy in that band." He rolled his eyes much more intensely than I had. Woah. That took me through a tail spin.

"I'm just saying. Adam Levine? He can call me on a payphone anytime." I said before thinking, again. I held my breath and waited for a his reaction. He chuckled.

"Right." He nodded. Nothing questioning my sexuality. Na-da. I decided not to bother him with the same obvious question. But if I didn't say something, I might have exploded. After not speaking for a few minutes with Speed Of Sound softly filtering through the speakers. Levi had admitted that Coldplay was one of his favorite bands.

"So, you aren't going to ask?" I finally worked the courage. He looked at me suddenly.

"About...? Don't be so damn cryptic." He let out a small, breathy laugh. I gave him a doubtful look.

"I kind of just gave you all the information you needed to guess that I like guys. So, why not ask? Usually, everyone wants to know." My expression never faltered. It never really bothered me when they asked, I mean they were just curious, right? Sometimes, people just needed to be calmly educated, not bitched at for ignorance.

"Because I know I get annoyed when people ask me, so I don't usually ask others." He shrugged indifferently. Now, let me get this straight-no pun intended-Levi, and extremely attractive, and nice, comfortable guy was interested in guys. And so was I. However was this going to end up? Oh, yes. I know. Me with such a horrible crush that it would only add to the shit on my plate. I can try to not let that happen. Yeah, how hard would it be? The clock said 2:30 and I realized that I should be heading home.

"Hey, Levi? It's almost three. My dad will want me home around there." I told him, trying not to sound as scared as I felt. The look he shot me from the side told me he wasn't okay with me going home. But, without arguing, Levi shifted into drive.

"Seat belt, brat." He said, his own comforting way of saying if we were to get into a crash, he wouldn't want me to go through the windshield. I pulled the seat belt, but it was jammed or locked. Levi noticed my struggle. "Holy Hell. Do I have to do everything for you?"He mumbled before unlocking his own seat belt. He leant over me, his face extremely close to mine as he fumbled with the difficult seat belt. He smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. His breath smelled like the sweet and sugary pancakes we had eaten. I tried to keep the blush under control as the more he fiddled with the seat belt, the closer to me he seemed to get. My heart beat painfully fast in my chest. Levi fixed it and pulled it across my chest for me. He moved the side of my shirt, touching a, small yet bare, part of my side. When his hand had met my bare skin, prickles of nervousness bubbled all around my skin. The seat belt clicked, allowing Levi to stop touching me and to let me actually breathe.

Well. So much for not gaining a crush.

Shit.


	3. Odd Dreams

Uprising

Chapter 3: Odd Dreams

Levi

That night, I was more apprehensive about going to sleep than ever. Even though I knew exactly what would be waiting for me behind my eyelids, it still frightened me. Sleep wanted to pull me under so much, but I wanted nothing more than to spit in its ugly face in defiance. Around two AM, sleep had finally grappled me down. The dream that I was so used to having was replaced. It wasn't the same; oh no, it was worse.

A body got thrown like a rag doll across a city. The body hit a roof, sending broken shingles flying all over. I flew through the air after the body, screaming something incoherent. The body laid motionless. I said something, but any sound was muffled, as though we were under water. I was real scared. Blood pooled on the roof and ran over the ledge. The body, who I noticed was a boy, was missing half of his legs. Everything from the knees down was gone, replaced with ripped, shredded, and bloody, muscle, tissue and bone. His head bled profusely. I was mumbling something as I reached for the body. Once turned over, the pale face of the last person I expected to be there greeted me. I let out an ear rupturing scream.

"Eren!" I bolted awake, screaming. Sweat covered my body as tears streamlined down my cheeks. What the fuck was that?! I always had the same dream; ever since I was little. Then all of the sudden, a completely different one? What the hell? And Eren was in it? Surprisingly, I had been asleep for nearly three hours. That made me a little happier. I threw back the covers on my bed and ventured to take a shower. While in said shower, Eren's blank, dead, and bloodied head resurfaced. Why did it have to be Eren? The stupid brat... Something about him made me want to get close. And that never really worked out well. People would start to get close, and I would let them. Except, when they found out about my reoccurring nightmares and my occasional narcissistic tendencies, they were withdrawn in a heartbeat. You know the saying "no one is worth changing for"? I highly doubted there was a single person on this Earth who would accept me as I am. I'm a sarcastic asshole no one has time for. And if people were alright without me, than I sure as hell was even better without them. I almost choked on my own lie. I act like I'm okay with being alone, but really, I can't fathom the thought for the rest of my life. Who wants to be alone forever?

After my shower, I did the usual morning things before 7:20 when I left to go to my own personal hell, Trost High.

Eren and I talked for a lot of the day, which I was happy for. He didn't seem to be in the best of moods, but he kept it at bay from anyone noticing. I could notice, even though he tried so hard for me not to. It honestly saddened me that Eren had to try so damn hard for anyone to see how upset he clearly was. Even so, I could read Eren Jaeger like a fucking book. With things going like this, he'd never be able to lie to me. Countless times during the day I would ask if he was okay. He would smile brightly and nod, saying he had no idea what I meant. Except, his body betrayed his words. In the short time of knowing Eren, I learned that when he lied, his ears turned a vibrant shade of red.

He talked with our friends at the lunch table. Anytime someone tried bringing up the bruise on his face or when he dramatically left lunch yesterday to beat down a wall, he would brush them off. They would then turn to me, but of course, I would say nothing. If Eren didn't want them to know, I respected that. Hanji gave me a knowing look anytime I looked at her. Which meant, her signature shit-eating grin and squinted eyes that penetrated even the darkest of souls. After lunch, I pulled her aside.

"Why the hell do you keep giving me that look? It gives me the creeps and it makes me want to, like, kill you." I said the last bit with venom, but she never took me seriously. I wasn't sure why, because one day she might drive me crazy enough to actually act on it. Maybe it was my height, considering I wasn't the tallest guy around.

"Oh, it's nothing." She tried waving me off.

"No, it's definitely something. Spit it out, four eyes." She played with the end of her reddish-brown ponytail before considering her next words.

"All I have to say is: Eren. " She smiled her sly grin. I cocked my head to the side. What did she mean by that?

"So, it has to do with Eren? Okay? That's not exactly enough of an explanation for me." She shook her head, trying to think of how to describe it better.

"Do you like him?" She bravely asked. I almost choked on my damn throat. I spluttered a slight cough at how sudden the direction of this had turned.

"Never mind. Now I really don't want to know." I shook my head and tried walking out of Hanji's death trap. She gripped my arm like iron.

"Don't avoid me. You wanted to know what I was thinking about, so now you know." She replied. I groaned and tried once more to get away.

"I don't know!" I finally answered. She let me go and I turned to see her eyebrow arched. "Give me some damn credit here! It's only been like three fucking days!" Even though as time progressed, it was starting to lean towards more of a "yes" instead of "indecisive". Hanji nodded and sighed.

"I can understand that. It's just... For some reason, even though you guys haven't known each other for long, it feels right." Now she confused me even more. "What I mean, is you two together. It feels right. I can't really put it into a good elaboration, but if you two were going to get together, I'd be really happy. I'm not sure why. It feels like you two were meant for each other." She shrugged, the explanation not really going anywhere. I could understand what she meant though. In all honesty, it felt like I'd known Eren my whole life. It was weird. But not unwelcome. Hanji invited me to walk with her to our next period. Instead of talking about a certain boy with oak brown hair and blue-green eyes, we talked about my new dream. Which, I guess, wasn't that different from talking about Eren. Slowly, my life was turning into the "All Things Eren Show" and I couldn't say I minded.

The rest of the week went by at and unnaturally slow pace. I swear time itself had been doused in quicksand. Normally, I would have been in a worse mood than usual, but Eren kept me stable. I realized that I honestly enjoyed being around the brat. On Wednesday night we decided to trade Skype usernames and phone numbers. Now being Saturday, every day since we would spend around two hours talking on Skype. We would help each other with homework and just talk. I would even crack a few jokes, even though I wasn't sure Eren found them funny about 95% of the time. Then after we got off, we would wait for about twenty minutes and then text each other until one of us went to sleep. Of course, it was usually Eren who slept first. He was really starting to grow on me.

It was Saturday morning that I decided to actually do something. What to do? After thinking, I realized that I really needed some new clothes. Maybe I could go to the local mall. Not wanting to go alone, I searched my phone contacts. A few looked promising, like Hanji or Jean, but Hanji would have forced me into clothes she liked more than I did and Jean didn't like shopping. Eren's name rolled past my eyes and I stopped. Would he...? I sighed. Wouldn't know unless I tried. I pressed the call button and listened to the continuous rings. Eventually, a voice answered.

"Hello?" Eren's voice was sultry and groggy with sleep. A small smile reached my lips. How retchingly adorable.

"Look alive, Sunshine." I greeted.

"Levi? What's up? What time is it?" He questioned, sounding incredibly confused. The clock in my peripherals told me.

"Hmm, around noon. Damn kid, get your lazy ass out of bed." Eren scoffed on the other line.

"Noon isn't late for me."

"I'd bet not. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to do something today. Like, go to the mall?" I asked, hoping he would say yes.

"...What's the catch?" He sighed.

"Well all you gotta do is keep me company, and of course give me your opinion on what clothes to buy and if I look good in them." He was silent on the other line for a few seconds.

"Fine. Give me like and hour to shower and whatnot." A full blown smile became my face.

"I'll be at your house at exactly 1 o'clock. Not a minute late." I told him.

"Ugh, fine." He hung up and so did I. My stomach started to do something weird... like... it was restless. In knots. Is this what it felt like to be nervous to the point where you feel it all over?

I was not used to this.

I threw on a grey V-neck with a black breast pocket and a pair of black skinny jeans. I stepped out of the dressing room to unveil what it looked like to Eren. We'd been shopping for a few minutes and I had already decided on a pair of jeans and two shirts. When I stepped out, Eren turned his attention from a rack of shirts to me. The stupid blue-green eyes I found so endearing looked at me up and down.

"I-I like it." I sighed at how repetitive he could be.

"You said the same thing about the last two things I tried on."

Eren shrugged. "Well, I don't usually do this sort of thing. What do you want me to say? That I think..." He shook his head. "Never mind."

"No, what?" I walked closer to him to try to reason. His eyes followed me everywhere. As soon as eye contact was made, he tore his gaze away and focused on the shirt next to him on a rack. He completely ignored me. "Shit, you're impossible." I groaned.

"Look who's talking." He smirked and I had the urge to either slap or kiss it right off his pretty little face.

"No comment."

Eren

Levi trudged his jean clad legs back into the dressing room. With a sigh of relief, I collapsed onto the couch across from the mirrored walls. That was close. That was terrifying. I'd almost let how I really thought Levi really looked slip. If I did tell him, it would have been awkward and he would have thought I was weird. The truth was, I thought he looked better than I originally made him think. The jeans hugged his figure perfectly, showing off his muscular hips. The shirt was a tad too big as it hung loosely around his midsection but because it was Levi, he made it look good. Levi could make a black trash bag look Gucci. And you probably think I'm kidding.

Levi looked like he could be a model if it wasn't for his short stature. His black hair strung in straight pieces of raven black strands, parted perfectly in the middle. How it naturally dried so straight and perfect was beyond me. Steely, gray eyes fit his personality to the bare minimum. Levi was cold sometimes, which matched his cruel eyes well. They gave off the aura that he couldn't care less about anything, but they still captivated my attention more than anything. Levi's cheekbones protruded rather nicely and matched his chiseled jaw line.

In all honesty, he wasn't that short. Only about half a head shorter than me. It wasn't a turn off though. If anything, it made Levi more desirable.

Speak of the devil...

Levi came out of the dressing room in the same jeans that drove me up the wall, but changed into a simple, long sleeved red shirt

"Alright, so this one," He pointed to the shirt on his body, "or this one?" He held up the same shirt, but light blue instead. I thought for a minute. He really did look great in lighter colors, but he preferred darker ones.

"The blue one." He rose his eyebrow.

"Why?" Levi asked in slight confusion. This time, I told him exactly what I thought.

"I like lighter colors on you. Normally, you wear almost nothing but black. It's nice seeing seeing actual colors on you..." My words died off out of nervousness. He wanted me to be more specific, so he got it. Levi bit his lower lip while seeming to contemplate what I had said.

"Hmm..." He mumbled before turning on his heel to the dressing room.

My first instinct was that I'd fucked up. That he had gotten annoyed with me. So annoyed, he didn't even dignify me with a real response. As I felt the need to slither into a corner and bury myself in regret. Levi came back out in his own clothes and didn't utter a single word. I followed him on shaking legs to the cash register when I caught the sight of something within the pile of clothes on his arm. The blue shirt.

Was he buying it?

"Wait, are you buying that shirt?" I asked incredulously. He shrugged as he handed over a flimsy debit card.

"Well, yeah. If you say I look good in brighter clothes, then I trust your judgement." A smile stretched across my smitten face. Levi could really be a nice person sometimes. "What are you smiling like that for? It's kind of creepy." He grumbled. Keyword; sometimes.

We were done shopping after that but decided to get something to eat at the food court. Levi munched on a salad while I picked at my sandwich. I had actually denied wanting anything, but he insisted.

"Stop eating like a damn chipmunk and take actual bites." He commented around a bite of crisp, iceberg lettuce. I glared slightly at him.

"Maybe if someone listened to me when I said I was not hungry..." I mumbled saltily.

"Okay but sometime soon someone should realize that their ears turn red when lying." My hands went straight to my ears. He noticed? My mom teased me about it all the time when I was younger... In a way, it made me happy he noticed.

"My mom was the only one who noticed. She used to pinch my ears all the time when I lied and teased me about it. Your the first, besides her, to know." I smirked. He looked at me with a fork frozen in his mouth.

"That's weird, I mean it's pretty obvious." Levi murmured as he kept eating.

"Well... I don't know... No one pays better attention than you do." I shrugged and tried to ignore the sad look he gave me.

"Is that Eren Jaeger?" I heard someone say a few feet behind me. My eyebrow furrowed. Who was that?

"Is it? It looks like him. Wow, how weird. I would have thought he'd be at home, alone." Someone replied. I turned to look at two guys. I recognized them instantly. Ryner and Bertholdt. They were asshole, popular guys who went to the highschool in Shiganshina. They always were up my ass about everything.

"Hey, Eren Jaeger? Is that really you?" Ryner called. I ignored him. Levi looked back between the two of us.

"You know them?" He asked subtly.

"No." I replied instantaneously.

"'Aye buddy. Where have you been?" Bertholdt said when they both walked up to the table. I reached for my drink to take a sip instead of biting my cheek in fear. Ryner intersected me and stole the drink right away. Great, they were going to mess with me while Levi was around. Maybe he'll finally realize what a loser I really am. Levi stared at them. He looked... mad?

"I don't believe that's your drink." He bit. Ryner looked at him like he'd just noticed him.

"And who are you? Why are you hanging out with this scrub?" Ryner asked as he shoved my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and rubbed my now probably bruised shoulder.

"Doesn't matter. But, like I said, I don't think that's your fucking drink." Levi spit. Bertholdt rose his eyebrow. Ryner smiled wickedly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You're right. Let me just give it back to him." Before I even realized what was happening, Ryner tore the lid off my mostly full drink. Bertholdt took it from the blond and turned it upside down right above my head, sending cold ice and Sierra Mist all over me. I gasped and stood quickly, knocking my chair over. People were staring, wondering if someone should step into the impending fight.

Ryner and his friend starting laughing. Levi had dropped his fork on the floor in shock. His face displayed a large amount of surprise. The two started walking away, after throwing the empty cup at my face.

"Faggot!" Ryner shouted. Ouch, that stung a little. Levi's face had contorted to something of rage. In a flash, he stood. He went to chase after them. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his hand, holding him in place.

"Stop. It's not worth it." He looked back at me, anger burning deep in his features.

"You can't let them get away with that!" He begged.

"Hey, I don't really care. They've done worse. I'll just shower when I get home." I smirked as I picked a piece of brown hair stuck to my forehead. Reluctantly, he turned and picked up our trays, threw out the leftover food, and suggested leaving. I complied, really needing a shower. My clothes and hair were starting to get sticky. Levi blasted Three Days Grace on the way back to my house, not making a single sound. As he pulled up to my house, I noticed my dad's car wasn't here. At the bar, probably.

"Hey, um, do you want to come inside? My dad isn't home." I asked skeptically as I climbed out of his car. After a few seconds, he nodded. I could have sighed in relief, if I wasn't trying to keep my cool.

Levi

"Mikasa!" Eren yelled. My eyes searched the house of the Jaegers. It was small and simple. The brown walls matched the chocolate carpeting. There was a gray couch offf in the center of the walk in living room with an old tv in front of it. A large hole dented the wall next to a mini kitchenette. It looked to be the size of a body. Eren noticed my facination. "It was here when we moved in..." Eren tried to deflect my attention from his burning ears. I decided to ask about it later.

A girl with short black hair bounded down the stair. A red scarf tied round her neck covered part of her chin. Her eyes were gray, much like mine, and held little emotion. Mikasa, I assumed.

"Dad's not home..." She trailed off as her sights landed on me. "Who's this?" Eren rolled his eyes.

"Don't sound so defensive, Mikasa. This is Levi. He's a friend." Mikasa slowly and unsurly put her hand out. She wanted to shake hands? She eyed me up and down with critisism. After brief hesitation, I stuck my hand in hers and pumped it up and down.

"You're pretty short. Are you like a legal midget?" She suggested with the arch of her brow.

"Mikasa, that's rude!" He seemed more offended by it than I did.

"It's okay, Eren. I know I'm short." Eren looked at me and then to the floor.

"Eren why do you look like you've just been dunked in a vat of honey?" She stuck her hand in his hair and grimaced.

"It's nothing. I'm just clumsy." Eren's lie rang in my ears and suddenly I was furious again. Those assholes...

What kind of problem could they have had with Eren? I'd bet my life savings that Eren didn't do anything to them. Why are people so fucked up?

"Seriously?" Mikasa said with a sigh. She almost accepted the lie. Eren nodded. "Well, go take a shower."

I couldn't believe it. She had no idea he was lying. It was so obvious I could puke. He wasn't kidding when he said I pay him better attention.

This kid didn't deserve this kind of lifestyle.

Eren directed me to his bedroom while he got into the shower. His room was almost empty, excluding a bed, bedside table, and a dresser presumably full of clothes. As I plumped down onto his bed, I noticed how unsightingly old it was. It squeaked pretty horribly and rusty springs poked out of the side. I winced at the feeling of the springs sticking the back of my legs. How did Eren deal with this?

After about a half hour, the shower turned off and Eren stepping into his room, wearing nothing but a towel around his beautiful hips. If it weren't for the ugly bruises littering his perfectly toned, olive skin, I would have drooled on the floorboards. He looked at me over his shoulder while he sifted through the drawers for something to wear. He smirked.

"You're staring." Eren stated, a smile in his voice. I scoffed and turned my surprisingly warm face.

"You just have a lot of bruises..." I replied, trying to keep my voice even.

"Yeah, well I mean there's nothing I can really do about it." He shrugged indifferently, as if it was nothing. My eyes turned to slits. It wasn't nothing. How could he treat it that way?

"Why are you so fucking careless?" I spat, standing to meet him. I hated getting mad at Eren, but maybe it would help him realize he didn't deserve how people treat him. Again, he lifted and dropped his shoulders.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not sounding any different. Eren threw on a grey tee-shirt . As he turned to look at me in confusion, he tousled his dripping wet hair. Oh god, why did he have to be so cute?

"Everyone treats you like a doormat! Why not give them hell for it?" He looked at me and turned his attention to the floor.

"I don't think it's worth spending my years, searching for revenge on someone who won't mean shit to me in like ten years. I probably won't even remember Ryner and Bertholdt. My teenage years will just seem like a bad dream." I didn't realize how mature Eren was. I was silent, fuming.

"Do you even care about anything?" I grumbled. Eren was about to say something, but corrected himself with a distant look.

"Not really. What is there to care about?" It was as if Eren had transformed into a damn robot right before my eyes. His eyes glazed over and he held absolutely no emotion. It scared me, but I said nothing more as I left him to change.

Eren

Levi was being more difficult than ever. He kept going on about "revenge" or something when I legitimately had no interest in it. Why couldn't he understand? The old me would have beat the shit out of those guys at the mall, but now... Things were different. So different. My emotions are more isolated now. I hardly ever let how I really felt affect me or the people around me. It's been held back since I was ten. One day, it will break like a dam. At first, slowly, it will start leaking. Then, all at once, it would collapse and drown everyone around me. They won't see it coming in time to move. They won't see it happening until it's too late. I sighed and dressed while Levi waited in the living room.

He sat on the couch, running his hand through his hair. I came and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry. I can be really blunt and Mikasa says it's offensive." I scratched the back of my neck out of habit.

"It's not so much offensive as it is frightening. You don't care, and it's just confusing. If I was in your place, everyone would have to mop their guts off the floor." He groaned and leaned back into the couch. He slung his arm across the back and I had the overwhelming urge to lean into him.

"You know, at some point, I think we were almost the same person." Instead of leaning into him, I decided to lay back like Levi. I was very aware of his arm behind my neck. "I was always angry and impulsive. If I was the same as before, Ryner and Bertholdt would have been knocked out on the food court table. Sure, no one pushed me around, but I also had at least one friend, mind you. It was a problem." Levi hung onto every word without missing a beat.

"I can't imagine that." He replied and I couldn't help but chuckle at how wrong he was.

We decided upon watching my favorite movie, The Lord Of The Rings. At some point, my mind became hazy and before I knew it, sleep had claimed me.

Levi

My attention was diverted from the screen to and extra weight on my shoulder. A sleeping head drooped onto me. Eren seemed so at peace. He lacked the tension that usually strung his body. He breathed in and out deeply as his chest rose and fell in periodic intervals. Lifting my hand to his head, his hair tickled my skin. The dark chestnut-brown hair was damp but still deeply soft. Like feathers I wanted to bury myself in. It smelled like shampoo. Up to this point, I'd wondered whether his hair was as soft as it looked. Wow, I hadn't realize how creepy this probably was.

I found myself playing with the tips in between my fingers. The brat started moving, so I stopped as well as my heart. He didn't wake up; no, he moved closer to me. A sigh of content left his kissable lips. This felt strange, not bad but... like I'd done it before. De ja vu? The act itself was beyond comfortable. I could probably sleep some myself. But, this was out of the equation. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.

I sat against a wall on a roof, stargazing. There was a stern knock and I turned my upper half to see who it was. It was Eren.

"Corporal Levi?" He asked. Eren was dressed oddly. A white shirt under a beige jacket that ended just below his rib cage. Off white pants with a brown wrap around his waist, like a belt, and knee high black combat boots that had straps going up his thighs. A dark green cape-like article was tied around his neck.

"What is it, Eren?" I asked him. "And I told you to drop the Corporal." Eren moved from the doorway and gave an appologetic smile.

"Sorry. I keep forgetting. Can I sit with you, Corp- Levi." He almost slipped up. I waved him over. He sat next to me, our knees touching. Unabashedly, he dropped his head onto my shoulder and leaned close to me. With affection, I slipped my arm around his broad shoulders. "I see why you like the stars so much. They really are something." I smirked.

"Yeah. Did Erwin give you a hard time today?"

"Kind of. He says I have no idea how to clean a horse stall. Although, he made Jean re-do it. It's good he knows how to clean up after himself." Playfully, I smacked his shoulder and chuckled.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Jean doesn't look like a horse." He sat up to look at me incredulously.

"You have to admit he does a little bit!" I rolled my eyes.

"You just say that because you don't like him."Eren groaned and laid his head back down.

"He's an asshole..." He grumbled. In silence, we both fell fast asleep under the stars.


	4. Corporal Ravaille

Uprising

Chapter 4: Corporal Rivaille

Eren

How was it this possible to feel so comfortable? Slowly, my body was waking up from the long slumber that had suddenly taken me. What happened when I fell asleep? I was with someone, wasn't I? All at once, the memory came back. Levi. I had been with Levi. I sat up to enhance my surroundings. Instantly, I found myself unable to move my left arm. Tugging at my arm a bit, it was under Levi's hip. To make my situation even worse, my legs and his were tangled up on the other end. We'd literally been cuddling the whole time. How does something like that even happen? Though I liked the thought of cuddling with Levi, I don't think I can deal with the embarrassment of him waking up to this.

So, trying to solve the situation, I tried pulling my arm out from underneath him. I sighed with relief when I had my arm back without even stirring Levi. And now, my legs needed tending to. I pulled my legs to no avail.

"Eren, what are you doing?" Levi voiced behind me, sounding groggy. I looked back at him and laughed nervously. His hand was rubbing through his raven hair. Soon, he realized our legs were knotted together and his eyes went wide. We both instantly pulled our legs towards our bodies with flaming cheeks. He cleared his throat and spoke after some silence had passed. "What time is it?"

I glanced at my watch. "Five." He nodded and stood from the couch to stretch his back out. I noticed his attention became taken by the dent in the wall. Levi was going to ask about it. I wish he'd leave it be.

"So, what actually happened to that wall? And no bullshit because I can smell it a mile away." He stood in front of me with his arms crossed threateningly.

I sighed, knowing this one, I wouldn't be able to get out of . "My dad came home, drunk as ever. He , well, threw me into the wall. No big deal." I shrugged. "Hungry?"

"What the hell? He threw you?" Levi asked, throwing his arms out behind him.

"Yeah, I just said that. And I asked if you were hungry because I am." I yawned and hoped to direct the conversation somewhere else. I stood and turned to go to the kitchen, even though I was 95% percent sure we didn't have much to eat. I heard Levi mumble something like "god damn it" before he grabbed my hand. I looked back to see what he wanted. Before I knew it, his hand cupped my face and brought it forward. Levi's lips met mine in the middle and connected. Levi was kissing me. After a few seconds, I started to kiss back. On its own accord, my arm wrapped around his waist to bring him closer. I felt his lips smile against mine. It wasn't messy or sloppy. It was a real kiss. My first, real kiss. He pulled back and our eyes met. Mine moved confusedly and his were radiating happiness.

Suddenly, my body began to ache. Memories of my mother's death flashed in my head as well as the times my father had treated me like shit. I hadn't really thought of it before. Emotions hit me like a train and I needed it to stop. My knees weakened as the memories overwhelmed my senses. Levi grunted as I started to go limp and he sidled me back onto the couch. He lowered himself onto the side.

"What's wrong? Eren?" I pulled my knees up to my chest after turning onto my side. It hurt my muscles but I didn't care. My eyes stung with unshed tears and now? Crying was the only thing I wanted to do. "Eren...?" The look on my mom's face when she landed in a puddle of blood on the floor flashed before my eyes and I couldn't hold it back anymore. Tears broke free from my eyes and once they started it just wouldn't stop. My chest expanded in spasms and at some point, I accidentally let out a small sob. Did this really have to happen while Levi was over? Really? I felt hands squeeze under my arms, trying to get in. "Eren, don't shut me out..." Levi said with worry in his voice. It made me peek at him. I'd never heard him sound so concerned. His face matched his tone. For a small amount of time, I was able to stop crying and sit up like I was okay, only to break down again. I buried my face in my hands and began trying to stifle my sobs. Levi moved closer and wrapped his arms around me. This was not how I wanted to be. I didn't want to be "broken" and "weak". I wanted to not be able to feel my obvious injuries and emotional trauma. Numb. Like before. Levi bulldozed the wall against emotion I spent building since I was 10 and I wanted it back. This wan't the way I wanted to live; feeling like absolute shit every day. No one should live like this. No one deserves to. I tried to pull away from Levi. He shouldn't have to deal with me at this point. It only made him tighten his arms.

"I'm sorry..." I mumbled through my crying that muffled against his shoulder. Levi hushed me.

"It's completely fine. When you're ready, tell me what's the matter." So, I cried and cried for at least a half hour. Finally, all my tears had dried and left me with a stiff face, blurry vision, and a hoarse voice. But I felt somewhat better to say the least. Finally I pulled away and curled into the corner. My cheeks burned, remembering Levi held me while I bawled like a baby. I'm such a loser.

"Levi, I'm so-"

"Stop. I don't care that you're sorry because I'm not. What suddenly brought that on?" He turned towards me and crossed his legs. I sighed and tried to explain as well as I could, very well knowing it might not make any sense at all.

"After I woke up from the coma when I was ten, I didn't cry about losing my mom. I barely showed any reaction at all. As a self protection maneuver, apparently, I locked away my emotions and tried not to feel a thing. Of course, eventually it got harder when my dad lost his job, started to emotionally and physically abuse me, and the kids at school treated me like shit. Because we lost money all too fast, I stopped seeing my therapist and we moved back here. When I met you, my emotions slowly started coming back. And now..." That's all I could really say before looking away.

"No one deserves that." Levi mumbled and rubbed his hands over his face.

"No, no one really does."

Levi

I woke up mildly confused with everything. The dream I had between Eren and I wasn't a dream. I knew that. I remember it. Like a memory. It was a memory. Every dream I'd ever had, had been a memory from my other life. My life where humanity lived in fear of extinction and I was a strong corporal. "Humanities Strongest", if you will. Titans ruled over us as we cowered behind walls. Eren and I had become more than team mates back then and some how I'd been able to find him again. It truly was a gift all on its own. All our friends... they were there too. Jean, Armin, Hanji. Everyone.

I had my friends and my parents. I didn't have to worry about getting eaten by titans in this life. That's what made me sincerely so relieved. But what threw me through a loop was that Eren continues to get the short end of the stick. Has he ever gotten a good life? Ever? He'd had to see his mother die in both lives. Is this brat just doomed to witness a mind altering action like that for all eternity? Don't even get me started on his dad. Was that guy going to be a shit father in every life or what? It made me angry and worked up just thinking about it.

Right now, I was a seventeen year old kid in high school. Instead of having to worry about if my 3-D maneuver gear worked properly, it was grades. Friends instead of specially trained teammates to fight multiple meter tall, cannibalistic titans. What college I was going to and not if I was going to live long enough to see the next day. My other life seemed more like a bad dream, thought I knew it was very much real.

Onto a new problem I faced, was Eren. I had the horrible idea to kiss him. I was honestly just so overwhelmed with remembering, my first instinct was to make sure it was really my Eren. He felt like my Eren. Despite the fact he kissed back, he'd also been met with a complete mental breakdown. And it was mostly my fault. Good going, Levi. Why did he have to be cursed with witnessing his mothers death and a shit father? It made no sense to me. Kissing him was a stupid move on my part. Honestly, I hoped he'd forget about it and not bring it up. If he asked why I kissed him, I wouldn't have a simple answer to give him. There was no "simple" answer. I just needed to taste him again, feel his lips on mine one more time. It was a selfish move I didn't intend to make again. I knew at some point, one of us would bring it up. And whatever his reaction would be, that would be the consequence I would have to take. However direction he wanted this to go, I would let him steer. If he wanted to be just friends, then we were. Sure, it would hurt me but if it was what he wanted, I would have no intention of making him feel forced or obligated to be with me because it was what I wanted. Either way, I would not leave him. I needed to protect him. To be there for him like I wasn't in year 850. I would keep him safe if it meant selling my right arm. Anything. I couldn't lose him again.

"Levi? Are you alright? You seem to be zoning out a bit." He turned his attention from the screen of my bedroom tv, to me. Frustratingly, I tugged at my hair with my fingers. I had invited Eren to sleep over at my house. Normal kids do that, right? Yeah, they do... I mean, I'm seventeen in a normal life. No titans. No 3-D maneuver gear. Nothing. I wasn't a corporal. Mentally, I groaned. Has remembering year 850 really blurred my perception of being a normal teen? I assumed the answer was yes.

"Yeah, kid. I'm fine. Just a shit-storm of things running through my head. No big deal." I sighed and tried to ignore his confused look.

"You know, you act a lot older than you are." Eren stated, looked back to the tv, plucking pieces of popcorn into his mouth. We'd agreed on watching Titanic. We'd both seen the movie plenty of times, but it was one you can never get sick of. It made me think. Could I have had a life where I'd been on the Titanic? Sure, it's possible. I knew we had more lives than this one and year 850. I remember every nook and cranny of year 850, but all the other ones are but mere blurs. Anytime I attempted to remember those, I would only end up with a killer head ache.

"I've been told." Which made me wonder why. Even though I was only seventeen, I had the speech and mentality of a full grown adult. Perhaps it had to do with having to act older to seem more like a respected leader in year 850? Humanity wanted to make sure they were in good hands with mature leaders who made a promise to aid the extinction of titans.

Was I the only one who remembered? I wanted to rip my hair out from the stress. So many questions and no way to get answers. This was a lot to take in on my own and it sucked. I couldn't confide in anyone, nor could I ask anyone who knew jack shit about this because as far as I knew, I was alone. As per usual.

My eyes widened as I realized something. The reason I recognized Eren so easily because I knew him in other fucking lives. It was comical. I thought maybe I just saw him at a damn super market or something but no. Nothing like this. I couldn't stop my quiet chuckling. Maybe I was losing my damn mind.

"What so funny? Jack just died and you're over here laughing your ass off." Eren asked with a confused facial expression.

"Er, it's just so ironic. I mean, there was substantially enough room on that door for both of them, yet Rose made no move to pull him up onto it. He probably could have lived if she had." Eren nodded as he saw my point.

"Yeah, I see what you mean. That is kind of funny." He smirked a little before setting the bowl of popcorn onto my bedside dresser. My breath hitched in my throat as I saw the bowl slowly teeter over the edge of the dresser.

"Eren!" I pointed to the bowl. Quickly, he reached over and caught it before pushing it farther back onto the dresser. I let out a relieved huff of breath when my perfectly white carpet hadn't been soiled with butter, salt and popcorn kernels.

"You really like being clean, don't you?" Eren mumbled. I'd almost given him a heart attack. I probably overreacted, but I couldn't help not being clean.

"Yeah. Always have and always will." I grumbled. I didn't miss the slight smirk Eren offered.

The silence was too precious to break. Both of us were still awake, and we knew that. The room was completely dark, save for the strip of moonlight that peeked through my black curtains. It was so quiet in the room we could hear each others synced breaths. A few more minutes passed, and when I thought I wasn't going to get any sleep, I'd started nodding off.

"Levi?" Eren shattered the silence with the utter of my name. My eyes opened and I turned onto my other side to face him and he did the same. My bed was exceptionally small, so our noses were very close to touching.

"What's up?" I whispered. Eren fidgeted and in the line of moonlight shown on his face helped me see his cheeks were a tad pink. Whatever he wanted to say was causing him discomfort, which made my internal "danger" light kick on.

"I just... I've been thinking about it all day and well I can't get it off my mind." He mumbled, playing with the edge of the blanket.

"Well spit it out, brat." I chuckled quietly. His emerald-green eyes met mine.

"You kissed me earlier today. I haven't forgotten. Quite the opposite, actually." My chest constricted. Depending on how this conversation went, it could decipher mine and Eren's relationship. I gulped audibly.

"Oh, right." My voice was gruff and dry.

"Why?" I hesitated and it was back to silence for a few moments. What should I tell him? Should I say it was some kind of an accident? No, that would only make him feel bad. Maybe. It was obvious I couldn't tell him that it was because I had realized we were reincarnated souls bound together again. Time to halfway lie my ass off.

"Well... I like you." Which wasn't a complete lie. Just a stretch. If I remembered correctly, I had actually loved him in year 850. That caught him off guard. His mouth hung open slightly in awe.

"Wha-Really?!" He seemed so shocked and it made my expression soften at the disbelief he felt for someone being attracted to him. I chuckled lightly.

"Well, yes. That's generally why people kiss other people with no context." Eren's surprised expression was short lived and was replaced with a look of complete embarrassment. His cheeks were burning and he hid his face in the blanket. I couldn't help but laugh at how fucking adorable he was. I gently tugged the blanket away from his face so I could talk to him. "... Is that a problem?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"No! No, of course not I mean I-I like you too, Levi." I sighed, relief and complete happiness washing throughout my whole being. So, we laid there for a few more minutes, just looking at each other. What happened next came so suddenly, I'd almost not have seen it. Eren quickly leaned over and pecked my cheek sweetly before turning on his other side so his back was facing me. My cheeks actually burned a little. With a huff I turned onto my other side.

"Dork..." I whispered under my breath lovingly.

I went to school on Monday just like every other time. Except, first block was different. I sat at my desk and put my head down until class started. I looked up just as I felt a piece of paper being pushed onto my desk. I looked up and my eyes went wide. My mouth dried and my stomach tightened. How could I have forgotten? Erwin. Commander Erwin Smith was my damn English teacher. Except now, he was just a teacher with huge eyebrows that could keep him safe and warm for winter.

"Levi? Are you alright?" He asked, raising said eyebrows. I nodded mutely. This whole reincarnation thing was seriously freaking me out. He continued handing out sheets of paper as kids still filtered in to sit. Eren came in soon enough. After lowering himself into the seat next to me, he gave a bright smile I couldn't help but return. So far he seemed to be in a good mood. "Alright, everyone. We'll be starting a novel today in class. The paper I handed out is the guidelines of the project we'll be working on after reading the book." He started handing out the book and I could have thrown up. The cover was red with a picture of the colossal titan. It was titled Attack On Titan and the author was D. Pixis. Now, I was going to chuck the damn book in Erwins face. Maybe his large ass eyebrows would cushion the blow.

According to the back of the book, the story followed the life of Ethan Jagger and his friends Marina Armorman and Aaron Erlet as humanity in year 850, trapped behind walls. They fight terrifying creatures called titans to save humanity. I dropped the book on the desk, along with my head. As if my head ache wasn't bad before, it was now.

"Woah, Levi. What's wrong?" Eren put his hand on my shoulder and whispered to me quietly.

"Nothing. The book looks boring, I guess..."I grumbled, turning my head to the side to look at Eren.

"I don't know. It seems pretty interesting to be honest." He flipped through the book, reading a few excerpts. Of course he would say that. To someone who didn't remember living through mostly the same situation, it would be interesting. Save for the fact I did remember and wanted nothing to do with it.

"Levi, are you not feeling well? You can go to the bathroom or nurse if you'd like." Erwin came over and stood a few feet away from my desk. For some reason, he was making me angry. I shook my head.

"No, thanks." I picked up the book like it was radioactive. We read the first chapter, which basically started off with "Ethan's" life inside the walls and his friends and family. By the time class was over, I felt like punching someone. I wanted to leave the classroom in a rush, but Erwin asked me to stay behind. Even as normal people he had control over me. Eren promised he'd see me at lunch and went to his next period.

"How are you doing today, Levi?" Erwin asked after asking me to pull up a chair to speak with him. I shrugged, not really willing to answer. "You don't seem to be in a very good mood. How are things outside of school?" Jesus, was he a therapist on the weekends? Something to fill up his extra time? Tending to the damn garden of eyebrows on his face should take up enough of his weekend as it was.

"Fine." Short and sweet.

"You don't seem to be very happy about the book we're reading in class. Want to tell me why?" Oh for fuck-sake. Again, I shrugged. "Alright. I need some straight answers here, Levi." He reached into his drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. On the paper was an emblem. I audibly gasped at the sight of the Wings Of Freedom coat of arms. "Do you know what this is?" Did he remember? I hesitated for a moment. "Levi..."

"Wings Of Freedom." I whispered so quietly he probably didn't hear me.

"Say that again?" He said encouraging me to speak up.

"I said, that's the damn Wings Of Freedom." My temper had gotten the best of me. I hardly spoke out against teachers, not feeling it was worth it. But I was already on overdrive with this whole situation. I couldn't hold back my snide remark. He leaned back in his seat as if saying "interesting".

"Right. And you know where the Wings Of Freedom came from right?"

"Year 850. The Recon Corp. Now, I'm done for today." I stood with my bag and made my way for the exit before I threw up.

"Rivaille." I stopped and turned around, glaring slightly at the other use of my name. "Welcome back to us, Corporal."


	5. Mike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, another note from me lol  
> I'm sorry if there are some grammar and spelling mistakes i really try to not let that happen, but in order to get them all i have to read what i wrote like two days later so then i actually catch the mistakes but i dont really have the patience for that bc i like updating as soon as i can.  
> also, im sorry if somethings seem unrealistic or are wrong. if i ever need information, i go to the snk wiki and i try to make everything as accurate as i can.  
> so, i try lmao.  
> onto the chapter!

Uprising

Chapter 5: Mike

Levi

After that, I was pretty oblivious to things. I completely ignored everyone, all until lunch. I wanted to continue not speaking to anyone, but when it came to Eren, I couldn't. Eren took Jeans place next to me, of course not without an argument. I wasn't having any ones shit at the moment, so I told Jean to suck it up and sit the fuck down before I forced him to. Eren smiled at me and my stomach turned over. Why did he have to be so cute?

"So, what did Mr. Smith want to talk to you about?" Eren asked, taking a bite of a sandwich. I sighed and ran my hand over the undercut of my hair. I should really get it cut soon.

"My grade." I hated lying to him. He nodded and offered me the other half of his sandwich. Gratefully, I accepted it. Normally I wouldn't, but I was hungry during lunch today. When I took the sandwich, I noticed Hanji staring at us from the corner of my eye. Of course she was giving me her shit eating grin that really got on my nerves. "What?" I grumbled to her.

"Nothing, nothing." Her eyes moved back and forth from me to Eren. I looked at Eren, who was nibbling on his lunch while staring off into the distance. It was only then did I notice really how close we were sitting together. Our shoulders were about half an inch apart. I swallowed but had no intention of moving.

"So, Eren." Armin said to get Eren's attention, which was really out there somewhere. I knocked his knee with mine.

"Yo, Eren." I said. Immediately, his eyes moved over to me. I pointed at Armin who was smiling.

"Sorry. Kind of got lost in my thoughts. What's up, Armin?" Eren said around the food in his mouth. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, brat." There was a hint of endearment in my voice and Eren laughed.

"Do you still hang out with Mikasa? We should all get together soon." Armin suggested. Eren swallowed his food.

"Yeah, that would be awesome." I smiled gently at Eren's cooperation. He really was trying to not let his life drag him down. Armin nodded and they made plans for this weekend. Well, looks like I'll be hanging out with shitty glasses, with Eren busy and all.

"Oi, Levi." A deep voice said from behind me. I knew that voice. It was probably the biggest douche and homophobe in all of Trost, Mike. God I hated that guy. I turned my head slightly to the side, only seeing him from my peripherals.

"What?" I said, sounding disinterested.

"Sitting a little close to Jaeger, aren't you?" He said, coming up and pushing my shoulder forward.

"I don't know. I'm pretty comfortable. Does it bother you?" I said, challenging him to reply. After brushing down my leather jacket, I also fixed my hair.

"I'm just trying to look out for you. Some people may get the wrong idea." He chuckled. This guy was unbelievable.

"Hm. Thanks for the warning." I said sarcastically. To make a point, I slid my chair even closer to Eren. Now, Eren's shoulder and mine were so close, one overlapped the other. My right leg and his left completely touched. I looked back and gave Mike the biggest death glare I could muster. He glared back while muttering 'fag' under his breath and walking away. I turned my head back to the table, which now had everyone staring at me. I looked over at Eren. His face was completely red and I couldn't help but smirk a bit. Sliding my chair back to where it was before, I continued eating.

"That was great." Connie said, laughing his ass off. The whole table burst into fits of chuckles and giggles. Even Eren started laughing. It as nice seeing him laugh like that. I even started to laugh a bit.

Of course I had to get detention in third period today. So what if I fell asleep? Big deal. But that means it's almost four o'clock, which also means no one else is here. I yawned. Maybe when I got home a nap would be in order. I pulled my car keys from my book bag, ready to get the hell out of here. I've had enough school for one day. Just as I was about to slide the key into the lock on my car door, I was suddenly pulled back by my collar. Really hard. The keys fell from my grip and my bag slid from my one shoulder. I didn't even stumble. I just went straight down onto the cement. My head bounced on the ground, earning a cry of pain from me. Pain exploded all around my head and down my neck. My vision went wonky and all at once, I became so confused I couldn't remember where I was. My eyesight cleared enough to see Mike stick his head above mine.

"Fancy seeing you here." He said with a sickening smirk.

"Mike." I growled. Well, I meant to growl but it probably sounded like a disoriented grumble. Slowly, I began to stand. My head spun and I almost collapsed again. Something trickled down my back. My fingers picked through my hair and found an open wound that felt warm and sticky.

That asshole made me bleed.

Mike either had two other people with him, or I was seeing triple.

"Man, Levi. You don't look too good. Want some help?" Mike said, feigning kindness. The two people on either side of him began to more forward.

"Stay the fuck away from me." I yelled, backing up away from them. My back met the side of my truck, trapping me. They grappled my arms against the car, holding me in place. My instincts wanted to take over and beat the hell out of them, but with my head feeling like lead, there was no way.

"You see, Levi... I thought you were cool. I had no problem with you whatsoever. But then... You had to be a queer, and I don't like queers." Mike threw his arm back and punched me in the stomach with all his strength. The wind left my lungs, leaving me gasping and coughing for air.

"I'll fucking kill you..." I mumbled. Did I really say that? I guess I had, because they all started laughing. While Mike's cronies, who I don't even know the names of, held me down against my own car, Mike kept hitting me. My face, stomach, chest, legs, head. Pain wracked my whole body. Blood ran from my nose and mouth.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Mike said, taking another swing at my face and slamming my head back onto the car. By this time, my vision was tunneling.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" A male voice said from a considerably far distance.

"Shit! Let's get out of here." Mike told his friends. They threw me by my arms onto the ground and sped out of here in a car, spitting gravel on their way out.

I breathed heavily and rolled onto my hands and knees. Blood dribbled out of my mouth. I spit all I could out before falling back on my heels. Everything hurt. This was bad. Breathing was difficult and every time I moved my head, it spun. Well... This was better then being eaten by titans. Abruptly, I started laughing. It hurt to laugh, but it was so ironic I couldn't not laugh. I stood and held my stomach while leaning against my car, still letting out brief chuckles.

"Levi?" I looked to my left so see Erwin standing there with a horrified face. I stopped laughing and became very serious, wiping the blood off my face with my sleeve.

"Erwin." He jogged over to me with frantic, searching eyes.

"Who the hell was just beating the shit out of you?" He took out a tissue and tried wiping off the blood streaks. I slapped his hand away.

"I'm fine." Erwin shook his head.

"Nothing changes with you." His mouth was set in a straight line. I stepped away from the car, only to stumble. Erwin reached out his arms to catch me, but I caught myself.

"Stop. I don't need you, or your eyebrows, help." I picked up my keys and bag off the ground.

"You aren't going to drive like this, are you?" Erwin said, shocked. I looked over at him and squinted my eyes.

"No, I'm going to fly." I shook my head and reached for the handle on the car door. The keys were ripped from my hand. "Erwin, I'm not ready to deal with your shit right now. I just want to go home." I turned around and glared at him.

"It's for you're own good. You're certainly in no condition to drive." Anger surged through my vanes.

"I'm not a helpless cat! I can do things on my own!" I screamed at Erwin. He didn't even flinch.

"Yes, but you also aren't a Corporal either." He said matter-of-factally.

"Oh no, do not go there."

"Fine. I won't 'go there' so as long as you let me drive you home." Erwin replied.

"What about my truck?" I grumbled.

"You can have one of your parents take you to pick it up. They'd do that, right?" I was pretty sure they would. Erwin stared at me and I stared back, glaring harshly.

"Fine." I bit. He lead me to his silver Kia. I got in the passenger side and closed my eyes. Erwin got in and started up the car.

"So... You want to explain what happened?" He broke the silence soon enough.

"No." He sighed.

"You'd think that even after multiple life times you'd soften up a bit. I actually think you got more bitter." Erwin whispered, more to himself than me.

My head lolled to the side and my eyes opened to watch the world pass by out the window.

"Do you still hold a grudge against me?" I knew what he meant. And for some reason, I would always have a small shred of anger towards him.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" I said softly. He didn't reply, which meant he got what I said. He pulled into my driveway.

"Well I'll see you in English tomorrow, Levi. Don't forget to read the next two chapters of Attack On Titan for homework." I opened the door an slowly climbed out.

"Not happening." I slung my bag onto my back, took my keys and slammed his door shut. I wondered if I could ask for transfer in English teachers. "Mom I'm home." I said into the house.

"Levi, hun. You're late..." My mom said, walking out of the kitchen. "Oh my god! Levi, what the hell happened to you?!" She yelled, running over and taking my bag, dropping it on the floor. Dad came in as well. They both started throwing a conniption and demanding I told them who did this to me. I refused to tell them. That would label me a snitch.

"It doesn't matter." I groaned and went to the kitchen for a drink.

"Was it kids from school?" My dad asked.

"No, It was Al-Qaeda." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm trying to help, Levi." He said with a pleading look on his face. I put my glass of water on the counter.

"Okay, yeah it was kids from school. I'm sorry, but I'm trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. Which means I can't tell you who did it. Besides, I only recognized one of them."

"One of them? How many were there?" Mom interjected.

"Three." I picked up my glass of water and limped towards the stairs.

"Levi. Why did they attack you? Did you do something to make them mad?" Dad asked me as I was halfway up the stairs.

"Yeah. I guess I did. I decided to overrun their lives with my gayness." I continued up the stairs but stopped at the top of the stairs. "Oh, and my car is at the school. My English teacher wouldn't let me drive after he found me so he drove me home. I'll pick it up tomorrow."

I left my parents to discuss. After cleaning up my body of all the blood, I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a plain white tee-shirt. I took my contacts out and put my black, square framed glasses on. I didn't hate my glasses, but I just didn't wear them often. My nose stopped bleeding and so did my mouth, but there was swelling around my eye and cheekbones. Bruises were starting to form on my chest, stomach, arms, and legs. My lip and eyebrow were also cut open. My head wasn't as bad as I thought. Most of the dizziness has subsided. That was going to be shit to have to explain tomorrow.

I was most worried about Eren. He wasn't exactly emotionally stable at the moment. How would he react? I know he told me he used to be a huge hot-head. Then he became some kind of saint. Now he was all kinds of fucked up in the head. I couldn't lie, that was for sure. There was no lie I could come up with to explain bruises all over my body. I layed down on my bed and closed my eyes. Damn, I was tired. I was just starting to doze off when the sharp shrill of my Skype tone filled the silence of my room. Either it was Eren, or it was Hanji. I don't know which would be worse at the moment. I picked up my ringing phone. Shit. It was Eren. I sighed and put my thumb over the lens, then answered.

"Levi? Are you there?" Eren's voice filled the speakers and I smiled a little.

"Yeah, brat. I'm here." He smiled, but still looked confused. Like a puppy.

"Why can't I see you? Is your camera broken?" He asked while running the front of his hair back. It stuck up in certain places, but he made it look good.

"No. My thumb is over the lens." I replied. His brow furrowed.

"Wait, why?"

I sighed. "When I show you, please do not freak out. I've had a pretty bad day and it would be worse if you got into a bad mood, too." Bracing myself, I moved my thumb. His mouth hung open and his eyes went wide.

"Levi, what happened?! You're whole face is bruising and your lip and eyebrow is cut open!"

"Just got into some altercations with some kids after school. It's no big deal." Suddenly, Eren's face became... Angry. His eyes were intense and his lips pursed.

"Who?" I stayed silent. "Levi."

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, a slight edge in my voice. I knew this wasn't going to pass by him so easily. Like a bull, a rush of air went out his nose as he scrubbed his hands over his face.

"I know you don't like it when I pry, so I'll leave it be for now." He grumbled. I knew he was trying to stay calm, and he was doing very well.

"Good. So, how was your day?" I replied, eager to get off this topic. He gave a small smile.

"Alright. You know..." Eren let his voice drown out.

"Has your shit dad done anything today?" Eren's smile slipped and he looked away from the camera.

"He tried hitting Mikasa so I pushed him. He, of course, retaliated. But I'm okay. He was really drunk so he couldn't hit that hard and he passed out after pushing me into the wall and punching my stomach like three times." He shrugged and I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, after you graduate next year you should move out." I replied, shifting so I was laying down on my bed.

"I want to... Mikasa and I could move out together. But my dad would drink himself into a coma every night." Eren replied in a low and sadden voice.

"So what? He does this to himself..."

"He's still my dad, Levi. I can't leave him to kill himself over a few bottles of whiskey." I saw his point, although I didn't like it. A yawn escaped right as I was about to reply.

"Levi, maybe you should get some sleep. You look pretty tired." Eren said and I chuckled.

"Maybe. Later though. I want to talk to you more." Another yawn hitched on the end of my words, but I forced my heavy eyes to stay open.

Eren shook his head, but smiled.

"You're so stubborn." I nodded gave him my signature cocky smirk.

"You know it." So we talked for maybe an hour before I literally would stop talking and start to fall asleep.

"Alright, Levi. I'll see you in school tomorrow, okay? Go to sleep." Eren said. Slowly, my eyes opened and I saw Eren's adorable face just on the other side of a screen.

"Fine. You win this round, brat." We said goodbye, then hung up. I pulled my covers up to my chest and put my glasses on my table. I was asleep instantly.

Wind whipped by me as I swung around the small alleyways and streets of the Shiganshina District. My eyes searched every body that littered the ground. Eren was no where to be found, and I was starting to panic.

"Eren!" I yelled again as I landed on a rooftop. The sound of my voice echoed. The only thing I heard after that was the sound of wind rustling the trees. Dead soldiers and dead titan bodies covered the floor of the now desolate district. Chills gave me goose-pimples on my skin. Erwin decided to pull back the rest of the living troops. considering too many of us were being slaughtered. It's been days and nearly two thousand troops were unaccounted for. I was busy in the neighboring district. All because that was were Erwin assigned me. Eren was assigned in Shiganshina. He purposely separated us. And now, Eren was one of the unaccounted troops. Erwin is going to give me shit for just running out like that. As soon as I found out Eren was out here somewhere, I was gone. I needed to find him."Ere-" I was going to shout again as I saw someone slowly walking across a rooftop about five streets over. They were limping and walking towards Wall Rose. "Eren?!" I yelled. Their head snapped up and a big smile broke out on my face. "Eren, is that you?!" I yelled again.

"Levi?!" He shouted, though his voice was very dry sounding, it was him. He started swinging his 3D maneuver gear my way, as I was about to meet him half way. Something didn't feel right. Although I did find him, I was still paranoid.

And now I know why. A 15 meter titan jumped up out of no where and had Eren by the legs.

As soon as the titan's maw clamped on his legs and the sickening snap of bone reached my ears I opened my mouth to scream.

I woke up to scream instead. I began thrashing around in a sea of bed sheets and blankets. Finally, I became aware that it was another memory and not the present, so I stopped and sat up. I tore my shirt off and threw the blankets off of the bed, onto the floor. Sweat coated my body as it shook in intervals. I curled onto my side and covered my head in my arms.

You'd think the dreams would get easier now that I know that they're memories, but it's not. Not even a little. There are some things that are still a little hazy and then I just end up remembering them through dreams. I hated it. I wish I didn't have to deal with this. I wish I was just oblivious and ignorant again. I turned over and picked up my phone, clicking the home button. The screen turned on, nearly blinding me. It was two am and I slept a good amount of time for once.

There was a good chance that Eren was asleep. I wanted to talk to him so badly but there would be no point. What would I say? I had a nightmare about him dying and I wanted to make sure he was alive? That would be so dumb. So why do I want to make sure he was okay? The sound of the snapping bone echoed in my head. That day will forever be the worst day I'll ever experience. Thinking back to it actually makes my eyes water.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water for my dehydrated throat. Instead of going back up stairs, I leaned against the counter. Contemplating life isn't really what I want to do at two in the morning, but here I am. Doing just that. I used to be so anguished back then. Then again, so was everyone else. At least I knew how to deal with it. I was brought up in a world of titans. I knew noting more than that. I didn't know a life without them. And now, I know I could be happier. I could be a normal kid. I can't though. I hate the damn nightmares. I hate everyone avoiding me like the fucking plague. I hate people feel like me liking guys has any effect on them at all. I hate the lack of sleep, being tired all the time. I hate remembering what I used to be, some hero that everyone looked up to. And I hated how I was letting it all slowly tear me apart. The difference between me then and me now is that now, I am completely and utterly full of hate and the heavy feeling of knowing I'll never be able to have a natural life.

I hate being so fucking miserable.


	6. The Beach And Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you guys are liking the story? Hmmmm? Yeah, coolcool. I'm glad though, seriously. Writing is like my main hobby besides drawing so it like makes me happy when people leave nice comments and I smile and idk its nice so if you like my story or have any suggestions leave me a comment and i read them all so. i mean i kind of have an idea where to make this go but then again it never really plans out right and i might get stuck at some point so ill let you know when I do.  
> Read on, bruh.

Uprising

Chapter 6: The Beach And Secrets

Eren  
~  
Seeing Levi so badly beaten and hurt really got my blood pressure going high. I bet if I payed enough attention at school, I could possibly deduce who did this to him. Sure, not a lot of people liked Levi. Actually, no one really likes him outside of our immediate friend group. Levi was hard-headed, egotistical, stubborn, and sometimes just a plain dick. But, it's something you learn to deal with and accept. Sometimes, Levi could be nice. He was nice to me more than he was a douche, so that's something I suppose. He also did admit to having feelings for me, which we haven't talked about. Did he regret telling me? Did I get it mixed up with him just thinking I was a really good friend? No, he kissed me. Friends don't really do that, right? Should I bring it up soon? What if he got angry with me? Emotions are so confusing.

After Levi started falling asleep on Skype, I told him to go to sleep. He had a long day, you know? Eventually, he accepted his fate and hung up. My ears perked and honed in on my surroundings. Was my father awake? Was he even home? I didn't hear anything, besides Mikasa in the room across from mine. Cautiously, I creaked my bedroom door open. Looking up and down the hall, I saw no sign of the drunken father I've come to expect. I walked across the hall and knocked on Mikasa's door. Quiet shuffling could be heard beyond the door, soon it opened enough for me to only see half of Mikasa's face. I smiled softly.

"Hey, dad's not home, and I think I have some money. Do you want to go to the park and get ice cream?" She opened the door all the way and smiled. She rarely smiled, so I was glad to have done that by the small promise of a frozen treat.

"Yeah, let me change real fast." I nodded and replied that I would be downstairs waiting. I found my wallet and did indeed have ten dollars to spend on Mikasa and I. Shoving my phone and wallet in my back pocket, I waited patiently for my sister. Soon, she came bounding down the stairs, a slight skip in her step. The red scarf bounced along with her. It was almost seventy degrees out, but there was no point in telling her that it was too warm for a scarf. She was never seen without that thing. I'd given up long ago trying to talk sense into Mikasa, which was a lot more like trying to tell a dog to meow.

We began walking up the road. The park wasn't too far, if my memory served right.

"So, how has school been?" Mikasa asked, while we continued our journey.

I shrugged. "Alright, I guess. There are certainly a lot nicer kids here than in Shiganshina. Those kids were ruthless." I shuddered at the memory of how many times I'd been picked on, beaten and insulted in Shiganshina. Mikasa gave me a sympathetic look that I saw from my peripherals. "Except..." I knew what I was about to say, so I stopped.

"What?" Mikasa asked when I trailed off.

"...Nothing." I was going to say how Levi had been attacked after school today, but he probably wouldn't like it if I said something. "It was about Levi. Forget it." I sighed.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that shorty. Are you guys getting along alright? I noticed Levi isn't exactly a man of compliments." She crossed her arms. The park wasn't too far off now. We could see it in the distance, waiting for our presence.

"We're fine... I think..." I mumbled my confusion, making Mikasa want to dig more. Usually, I would brush her away and ignore her interests in my life. She seemed livid and pleasantly surprised at my cooperation.

"You think?" A sigh of frustration passed my lips, letting Mikasa know it was more complicated than it seemed.

"Well, you see... He.. Well, he kissed me. At first I was torn to all hell on what to do and how I felt about it, but soon I figured out that I liked Levi more than a friend. We kind of talked about it and he said he liked me, and I agreed but... Neither of us has said a word about it since. I don't know if we're a thing or if we're just two people who happen to like kissing each other and completely disregard it." I really hoped Mikasa wouldn't make a big deal out Levi and I so close to being something.

"If he won't step up to the plate and talk about something he started, he's a wuss. Maybe you have to do it. Tell him how much it's screwing you up. The least he could do is care about your welfare." We got onto the biking path on the edge of the park and continued in. Kids played at the old and rusty playground, which really wasn't safe. Couples sat on benches or blankets on the lawn. I agreed, but still felt unsure of the situation. We found the ice cream stand and decided on what to get. I got a medium peanut butter-vanilla swirl on a cone and Mikasa got two scoops of raspberry in a cup. We carried on with some lighter topics and sat on a bench to eat.

"Oh! I forgot to mention. Armin wants to hang out this weekend with the both of us. It'll be just like old times, right?" Mikasa took a bite of ice cream from a plastic spoon, nodding.

"Of course. That sounds fun. We really should all go do something instead of just sitting, doing nothing." I was about to suggest the mall, when I recalled the last time I went to the mall. I swear my clothes will smell like Sierra Mist forever.

"Yeah, but where?" We tossed idea's back and forth, waiting for one of them to catch each others attention.

"How about the beach?" Mikasa said. I liked the beach a lot.

"Won't it be cold?" I asked. It was still only May, of course.

"Hmm, maybe. But who said we couldn't hang out and have a picnic? We won't go in the water." I smiled at this idea.

"I'll ask Armin if he's okay with it." We finished the last of our ice cream. Although, we sat and talked a for a while longer. Despite Mikasa and I living in the same house hold, neither one of us kept up with each others lives too often. It was nice to get caught up. Mikasa mentioned that we should head home soon. I frowned as well as she. No one would say it, but we both knew that when we got home, we would act like complete strangers. Relenting with a sigh, we threw our garbage away and went home. Mikasa and I stayed in our rooms for the rest of the night.

~

Waking up the next morning for school, I realized Dad had stumbled in at some ridiculously late time no doubt. I found the old man passed out on the couch with empty bottles of beer cascading the floor around him and the television on. I cleaned up the bottles and turned off the early morning infomercials, ready for another day of school.

I walked into Trost High, listening to music in my ear-buds. Completely unaware of the people following me so close they were basically riding my ass, until I felt someone grab my bookbag and throw it across the hall. I ripped my ear-buds out and spun around. It didn't even take that much get me unbelievably angry. The person responsible for said anger was the boy who talked to Levi at lunch yesterday.

"What the fuck was that for?" I asked. Him and two of his friends smirked like they knew something I didn't. The guy who presumably chucked my book bag stepped closer.

"My bad." He replied, feigning guilt. I was sure my face portrayed the frustration and hatred I felt towards the instigator. I scoffed and went to turn around. As much as the idea of punching the dick square in the face was appealing, school was not the place for such. The kid put his hands on my shoulders and shoved. I stumbled back, my feet tripping over one another. My ass landed on the floor. Adrenalin pushed through my vanes. I stood, ready to to fight back, when a familiar voice sounded from behind me.

"Trouble, boys?" Mr. Smith said coolly. His arms crossed. Although his features showed no hint of any kind of emotion, you could practically feel the annoyance radiating off of him. "Mike?"

The boy, Mike, shook his head from side to side. Smith looked at me, with a raised eyebrow. I tossed Mike a dirty look and also shook my head. Mike and his friends looked back at me as they walked away. I started walking away from Smith and towards my bag.

"Eren, if Mike ever gives you problems again, please let me know. He's a troublesome student." Mr. Smith offered a ghost of a smile and I nodded, anger and adrenalin subsiding.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." I mumbled and rubbed my hand through the back of my hair. I walked to my first period class and plopped down in my seat. An irritated sigh flushed through my nose. What the hell were those guy's problems? I never did anything to them. I hadn't even spoken to them before, nor did I know their names.

Levi walked in, well, at least I thought it was Levi. He had a black eye, a bruise across his cheekbone, split lip, and cut eyebrow. He also wore glasses, which I didn't know he did.

"Hey, brat." He greeted me, sitting down.  
"Hey." I smiled a little bit, trying not to show how bad of a mood I was in today already. Silently, he stared at me with scrutinizing eyes.

"What's wrong?" He said, not missing a beat.

"Nothing." I replied, playing with my fingers and looking away.

"Bullshit. Is it your dad?" He asked, turning to me.

"No." I relented, Levi managing to break me down.

"So, what happened?" He asked again. I remained mute. Levi sighed and turned completely to the side to talk to me. He grabbed my hand and laced my fingers with his. Blood rushed to me cheeks, not entirely used to the affectionate gesture. I pushed my hair back with the other hand and began to explain.

"There was this douche this morning... It's fine."

"Who? Someone fucked with you? If so, that means I have to fuck someone up in return." I groaned slightly.

"It's nothing, really. He just threw my bag is all... and then shoved me to the ground." I whispered the last part, hoping he didn't hear it.

"Someone pushed you? Tell me his name. Right now. Hell, I'll go and shove my fist down his damn throat. He can have it for lunch." Levi went on and on until he sighed and shut up. He squeezed my hand and looked at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I was about to fight back when Mr. Smith broke it up. It was good he did, honestly. It would suck to get in trouble at a school I just got to..." I laid my forehead down on the cool desktop and closed my eyes, fighting an impending migraine. Levi's thumb rubbed circles on the top of my hand. I really relished in his attention.

"Who was it?" He asked again, more calmly though.

"I don't really know. Some kid named Mike? I think it was the kid who gave you shit at lunch yesterday." Levi stopped and gripped my hand a little tighter.

"Mike, that fucking asshat..." He mumbled. "He can beat the hell out of me but as soon as he lays even a finger on you, that's probably around the time I'll be going to jail." Wait, what? My head snapped up to look at him.

"He's the one who kicked the shit out of you?" I couldn't say I was surprised, but suddenly the rage I've come to know pushed through my vanes again. Levi looked at me, surprised. I assumed he didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Damn it. It's nothing, okay? I'm going to handle it. He won't touch you, or me for that matter, again. I promise." I sighed and turned my attention to Mr. Smith who walked in as the bell wrung.

Today was going to be a long ass day.

~

Armin laughed as I threw the football his way. He caught it, but fumbled with it ungracefully. I chuckled ran down the sand, shells and pebbles poking the undersides of my feet. The ball sailed through the salty sea-spray air. I jumped and caught it with precision.

"Oh, come on! After all these years, how are you still perfect at sports?" Armin complained, but smiled.

"I guess I'm just that good." I replied and spiraled the football back through the air.

"Food's ready, guys!" Mikasa yelled from the blanket a few feet away. We stopped and began running over, kicking sand up behind us. Armin and I sat down on the blanket, ready to eat the food Armin brought. We all chose sandwiches and picked hand-fulls from a bag of chips. Mikasa talked about a lot of things and asked questions concerning of how Armin was after they left. Armin smiled and sighed, signaling not as great as hoped.

"For a year or so, I was the loner again, but then Jean started talking to me like we were friends. I knew you never liked him, so I was confused as to why he was talking to me when he knew we were close. So, since then, I got pulled into Jean's group of friends. They're all really cool, right Eren?" Armin asked, hoping I was okay with them.

"Of course, they're great. Levi and I were talking the other day how-" I was interrupted by Armin, who began hounding me.

"Levi? You guys hang out outside of school?" Armin asked, squinting his eyes at the sun.

"Hang out? That's all Eren does anymore. He's always either at Levi's house, on Skype with him, or texting him." Mikasa told him and then looked at me and sighed. Her eyes explained how sorry she was for even mentioning it. Armin looked at me.

"Really? You're with him that much?" He seemed surprised. "I mean, you guys are always together at school, so..." He played with the ends of his blond hair.

"Levi can be nice, really. He's not that bad and he doesn't scare me at all. He likes old movies and listens to good bands. His parents are really nice and his house is so warm and inviting. We went to IHop and had pancakes then drove to the beach, and we talked for a while. I hurt my knuckles and he wrapped them in bandages for me. He's so... nice, sometimes." I was rambling so I made myself stop. Armin looked at me with an odd expression. Mikasa looked at me and shook her head.

"Idiot..." She mumbled so quietly I almost didn't hear her, but there was endearment in her voice.

"Eren, do you like Levi? Like, more than a friend?" Armin asked, setting his sandwich on the plate in his hand. My eyes went wide.

"N-No! Of course not, I'm not like that." I chuckled nervously.

"Eren, your ears are red." Armin said, pointing at my ears. How did he know about that?

"I dont know what you-"

"Eren, I've known you for too long." Armin laughed. I stayed silent and avoided his eyes, feared he'd be angry for some reason. "That's cute, Eren. Levi can be a nice person I suppose, but he gives a bad vibe sometimes. I'd threaten him if he hurt you, but Mikasa would take care of that way before me." I gulped and looked at Mikasa. She had a small smile, not denying anything. Things got lighter in conversation. My phone interrupted us, which let out a shrill wring, I looked at it and saw my father was calling me. My stomach dropped and nerves frayed.

"It's dad." I told Mikasa, trying to sound passive. Her eyes widened a bit before she began playing with the end of her scarf. I answered and held the phone up to my ear.

"H-Hello?" I said, then clearing my throat.

"Where the fuck are you?" His strangled and drunk voice said on the other line. I winced in the slightest and closed my eyes.

"Out...Why?" I asked gently.

"You better be home in ten minutes." He growled. "I didn't say you could go out."

"You were sleeping so I just thought..." He interrupted me, screaming.

"Are you arguing with me? You know you never argue with me. Be home in twenty minutes, and I might not beat the shit out of you." He yelled and hung up. I swallowed, noticing he didn't say anything about Mikasa. I flinched and hung up, standing on shaking legs.

"I have to go. But I have to be home in twenty minutes." How is that going to happen? It was an hour's walk from here to my house. We didn't bring a vehicle. I looked at Mikasa, not knowing what to do. She shrugged, her hands shaking slightly.

"Tell him it's not possible. He'd understand, right?" Armin asked, still eating his sandwich. Mikasa and I shared looks again.

"Um... I don't know." I said, trying to hide the rising fear in my throat.

"Levi drives. Ask him for a ride." Mikasa spoke. I could. Would I be bothering him though? I won't know until I try. I pulled my phone up and dialed Levi's number. He answered sooner than expected.

"Eren? Are you alright?" His first instinct was to make sure I was fine.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just... I'm all the way down at the beach with Mikasa and Armin, and my dad wants me home in twenty minutes..." My voice wobbled and I heard Armin whisper to Mikasa, asking if I was okay.

"Alright. I'll be down to pick you up then." Levi promised and hung up. I waited for a little bit, collecting the stuff I brought. Levi texted me when he was here and I left my friends. I got in his passenger side, and began taking deep and even breaths. Levi sat in the drivers side. He turned down the music playing through the speakers and turned a little towards me. I ran my fingers through my hair, relishing in completely being around everything Levi. It did nothing to relieve the anxiety I felt towards going home. Levi reached and took my hand, raveling our fingers. He was doing this a lot lately, and I couldn't say I minded.

"I'm scared..." I mumbled very quietly, sounding exactly how I felt. Levi squeezed my hand.

"I know. If I could do something... anything... You know I would. I would do everything I could to have you live a safe life, for once." He murmured the last part, probably not realizing he said it. I wasn't sure what he meant by it, but I decided to leave it be. I sighed and rubbed my eyes from the tears welling with my free hand. I heard the shuffling of Levi's leather seat and then something very soft on my cheek. Levi placed feathery kisses all aong my jaw and cheek then placed a few pieces of my hair to the side. I turned my head slightly to look at him. His face held a slight tinge of pink and his eyes were soft and concerned. I looked back towards the window, smiling a little bit.

Levi drove me home and held my hand the whole time. My grip on his hand got tighter the closer we got to my house. He pulled into the driveway with eight minutes to spare. Once, we stopped, he started talking.

"Before you go, I think we should go out to dinner sometime soon. My treat, of course. How do you feel about that?" He asked, turning more towards me. I smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that." Was he trying to get a relationship going? "I want to know you more." He chuckled.

"One step at a time, brat." He smirked. He kissed me again, not on the lips, but close to them. For once, my stomach fluttered happily, not with knots. My blood pulsed in my ears as I climbed out of his truck. He stayed in the driveway and only drove off when I was inside. It was then I remembered my dad said he "might" not beat the shit out of me. I really hoped he magically passed out again.

~

Armin

Eren left quickly, seeming on edge.

"Mikasa?" I asked, confused. Why did I have to see the blood flood from Eren's face as he answered his father's call? Why did his eyes get so wide with fear? Why did he shake like a leaf in wind? "What's going on?"

Mikasa looked up. She almost bored the same look as Eren. "I don't know what you mean. Dad just wanted Eren to do some chores. It's fine." She stuttered at the word "fine". The family were never good at lying, but this was horrible.

"Are things okay at home?" I asked. They never talk about their dad, or mom. I haven't seen him at all, and they haven't asked me to come over.

"Dad's just... He's not doing so well. Ever since Mom passed away, he's been kind of different." I nodded, understanding how that could effect someone. What I thought looked like tears welled up in Mikasa's eyes, which was odd. She never cried, so it must be serious. "Damn it, I can't keep quiet anymore." She buried her head in her hands. I moved next to her and put my arm around her, suddenly feeling like we were eight years old again. "He drinks, day in and day out. He screams at Eren and I constantly. Anytime he raises his hand to me, Eren steps in. Dad beats the shit out of him almost every day and there's not a thing I can do about it." She went on, explaining everything from how Karla died to how they have to lock their doors at night to keep out a dangerous drunkard. I almost couldn't believe it, but why would she lie? Mikasa never lied. I remembered when she tried taking a candy bar from a corner store when we were nine and when they asked why she took it she said "because I wanted it".

"...He even blames Eren for our mom's death. That's not right." She was sobbing by now and I just hugged her. Two of my best friends I've known since I was a toddler were being hurt and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't go to police, Mikasa and Eren would be separated. Their backs were against the wall until they were old enough to get out of here and live somewhere else. We left and went to my house with my grandfather until late because Mikasa preferred to not go home, which I didn't blame her for one bit.


	7. Colossal News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: ABUSE!!!!

Uprising

Chapter 7: Colossal News

Eren

The house in which held my biggest fear seemed eerily silent, which was somewhat unsettling. As much as I wanted to hide in my room for the duration of the night, I had to tell my father I was home. If I didn't, I'd be accused with not being home on time and he'd go exceptionally hard on the beatings. I took out my phone to check the time. 6:45. I had three minutes. Once I found my voice under a bunch of nerves, I spoke to the silence.

"Dad?" I called, setting my bag down by the door and taking off my sweatshirt. Something made the floor creak upstairs, so I looked up. My father was slumping down the stairs with a look of pure hatred. "I'm home. Twenty minutes, just like you said." I swallowed. He reminded me of a bomb, slowly ticking down to the time it explodes. All he did was stand in front of me. "Da-" I got cut off by the sight of his hand tightening around the neck of an empty bottle of whiskey. The bottle came hurling towards me. I ducked, forcing it to hit the back of the front door and shatter. I crouched on the floor with my arms over my head to protect it from falling shards. A meaty hand grappled my hair and tugged me up. He threw me up against the door, knocking the wind out of me. I dropped down into the remnants of glass that covered the floor. I felt them beginning to stick into the skin on my neck and back. My breaths were ragged and broken. A foot clamped down on my chest, pushing more glass into me and even fucking up my breathing more. He leaned down and grabbed my hair again and brought his face close to mine. Alcohol filled my nostrils as he spoke.

"You're useless..." He whispered before banging my head on the wooden floor multiple times. Colored dots exploded in my vision and pain spread throughout my whole upper body. Soon, he stood. I thought it was over, done. I began to roll over to stand when his foot plowed down on my back. My back stung painfully as blood began to circulate through the open wounds. I flopped back down onto my stomach as he started kicking the shit out of me. Every kick became increasingly painful. Eventually, sharp gasps of pain came from my dry mouth. Things were confusing and disoriented. I was pretty sure my dad was yelling something. I heard him, though my brain couldn't process exactly what he was saying. I was unsure of how long he went on, but eventually he got tired and left the house in a huff, to the bar probably.

Slowly, I peeled myself off the floor. My head spun in every which way as I came to my feet. Everything hurt. I stumbled my way to the stairs. I wanted to go up to the bathroom, knowing I had to clean myself up. My legs had other plans, unfortunately. I ended up leaning on the wall by the landing on the stairs. I slid down onto the floor. My vision was still spotted and blurry. Little grumbles left my mouth, even though I don't recall trying to do so. As air continued to elude my lungs, tears pricked my eyes. Broken breathing and quiet, pathetic sobs filled the silence of the house. I tried holding them back at the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Panic seized my throat at the thought of my father being back. I wasn't sure I could take anymore. Then again, if it were my father, he wouldn't have knocked. He would have barged in like you swore there were five of him. Maybe it was just a neighbor or something. At that thought, I decided to ignore them. Whoever they were, they could come back later. I was busy sulking in pain and tears. The door opened slowly, creaking. Who would just open the door to someone's residence? Again, I attempted to get up and get myself upstairs. No one should see me right now. Footsteps drew closer. They were slow paced and unsure sounding. My body wouldn't cooperate. I fell back down on my ass, earning a muffled gasp of pain.

"Eren?" I knew that voice. I looked over to see Levi standing there with a horrified expression. My phone was loosely held in his hand. I must have forgotten it in his car. I curled against the wall even more, though I wasn't sure why. This was the worst Levi had ever seen me, and it was nerve wracking. As if broken out of a trance, he blinked and lowered himself slowly to the floor. "Oh god, Eren. What happened?" He asked softly as though I were a frightened animal. Tears continued to fall freely. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands and put my head in my lap. Silent sobs wracked my beaten body. I felt hands ghost gently over my arms, making me flinch a little before I realized it was only Levi. He let his arms wrap around my back and I gasped at pain the shot down my spine. Instantly, his arms were away from my back. "Eren, is there glass in your back?" Levi asked incredulously. In between whimpers, I nodded. "We need to get you cleaned up. Let me help you up." As much as I wanted to recede into myself more, if I didn't clean my wounds, the glass would eventually get harder to pull out. Uncurling myself, Levi gripped my arm and swung it around his shoulder. He walked me upstairs, as much as it hurt, I kept going and kept my cries of pain inside.

Once in the bathroom, I shed my shirt slowly. A shocked gasp sounded from Levi and a small moan left my mouth. Trying to determine the damage, I surveyed my upper body. Old yellowed bruises mixed with some recent purple and blue ones, much like a painters pallet, colored my abdomen. My skin was angry, red and swollen on my back and sides where Dad had just kicked. Glass poked out all over my back and neck, blood leaking down and staining the top of my boxers and jeans. Blood matted in my hair where I'd been slammed on the floor multiple times. My eyes were red and dull and my pallor was pale. My eyes watered at the sight of how horrid I looked. Levi made the first move to go into the closet to get peroxide, bandages and tweezers.

He had me lower onto the toilet seat while he stood behind me and plucked the glass from my skin. I winced every time. Once about ten or so pieces of glass were out of my back and neck, Levi opened the bottle of peroxide.

"This might sting a little." He poured it all down my back, my hands made busy with gripping the side of the counter and turning my knuckles white. I bit my tongue to keep from groaning through my teeth. Once my wounds were clean, I took a shower. After doing so, Levi put the bandages all over my back. Even an hour or so after this happened, my body still shook like a leaf. As I walked downstairs and into the living room, I sat on the couch as gently as I could. Levi followed.

"Eren..." He sat next to me and grabbed my hand. He kissed the top of my knuckles. Using my other hand, I rubbed my tired and dry eyes. "What happened?" He asked, honestly wanting to know. As hard as it was, I explained the whole story from start to finish. Levi became enraged. "I fucking hate your twisted ass father. How the hell could such a horrible human being even exist? Don't ask me, because I have no fucking clue. I hope someone puts his dick in a meat grinder." And so on, and so forth. I tried counting how many times he said "fuck", but eventually I lost count. He got up and started pacing, still mumbling to himself. Though he was to quiet to understand what he was saying, I was almost sure he was planning to murder my father. I sighed and pushed my damp hair from my forehead. While Levi sulked in anger, I got the dustpan and broom to clean the shards of glass still on the floor by the front door.

"I didn't even notice that when I came in..." Levi said looking at the floor. I smirked a little at his sudden confusion as to how he didn't see the glass. After that was cleaned up, I ventured to see if I had gotten blood on anything. After cleaning off a streak on the wall by the stairs, I laid down on the couch. Levi came and sat on the floor in front of me. My eye's fluttered and a yawn escaped from my mouth. He smiled a little and moved a piece of hair from my eyes.

"Tired?" He asked. I nodded, looking at the clock on the wall. It read as nine o'clock. He frowned. His dad would probably be home soon. "You should get some sleep. You've had a long day." I looked at Levi's eyes which were usually so cold, which now I noticed how tired he seemed. Did he ever sleep?

"Do you have trouble sleeping?" I asked him. He blinked.

"What makes you think that?"

"You just... look so tired all the time." Levi smirked.

"I have reoccurring nightmares. The only time I don't is when I'm with you." My face heated at the endearment behind his words. "When I'm with you, they're nice dreams." I smiled a little bit. "Now, you should sleep."

"Lay with me?" I was saying before I even realized it. He seemed to consider it for a moment before shrugging and shedding his jacket and shoes. I moved back to make room for the man who gave me butterflies almost 24/7. After laying down, he tugged a quilt on the back of the couch to place over us. Our legs tangled together. My arm rested on Levi's hip as his thumb rubbed circles on mine. I sighed, content. A yawn escaped Levi and my eyes fluttered shut. With the presence of a wonderful man next to me, I fell asleep in seconds with my head resting on his chest.

Levi~

After a long day of school and repeated attempts to fall asleep, I decided it was a good time to get some coffee. Once in the shop, I ordered an iced caramel mocha and snagged a table while waiting for my number to be called. After doing so, I sat back down, not really ready to head home yet. Instead, I pulled out some homework to work on. I was half way through my math when a cool voice spoke next to me.

"Is this seat taken?" I looked up to see Erwin standing next to the chair across from me. I laughed sarcastically.

"Oh, hell no." I remarked, smacking my binder shut and grabbing my bag. I was already on my feet before Erwin spoke.

"Please, Levi. I have something important to talk to you about. Give me ten minutes of your time." I glared at Erwin as he stared, pleading me to listen. I dropped my bag on the floor and sat back down, slamming my binder on the table. The loud slap drew the attention of onlookers.

"Talk, Sir Eyebrows." I took an irritated sip of my coffee. He sat and scrubbed his hands over his face.

"Well... I'm not exactly sure where to start." I rolled my eyes, my patience slowly draining. "How... would you feel if I told you year 850 still had relevance to this life?"

I blinked. "I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because it does. You think the titan species has died off, correct?" Erwin looked around us to make sure we weren't being too loud.

"No shit, the titans are dead. Do you happen to see multiple meter tall cannibals running around?" I scoffed and took a sip of my coffee, a knot settling into the pit of my stomach at the turn of where this conversation was heading.

"Of course not. What if... there were people who wanted to bring them back?" Erwin said, waiting for the information to sink in. I slammed down my cup, anger pushing my vanes.

"Who the fuck would be so fucking idiotic enough to bring back those bags of dicks?" I growled in a low and dangerous voice. Erwin's expression didn't falter. That was something I hated about him as well. His face always looked like a blank sheet of paper. My anger melted away and I laughed lightly. "Wait, there's no possible way of doing that. If there's no titan DNA around, no titans."

Erwin's eyes closed in defeat.

"That's what you think. There is actually one last person with titan DNA. The said organization who is trying to bring titans back have been looking for them for centuries. They've never figured out who has it, but right now, they're close. So close that it's dangerous." My mouth dried and my heart began to beat uneasily.

"Well? Who is it?" I asked, tapping my pencil anxiously on the table.

"You know him. He happens to have bright green eyes and you love him very much." My eyes widened. No, it couldn't... I couldn't count how many times Eren has bled and he's never gone titan. Yet, Erwin claims he still has titan DNA? What the fuck kind of bomb did he just unleash?

"I swear to all that is holy, if you are fucking lying, so help me..." My voice returned to the dangerous octave it was at before, but with more anguish. Anger began to make me shake uncontrollably as my jaw locked.

"Levi, I am many things. But, you know I am certainly not a liar." As much as I hated every inch of Erwin, a liar was something I could not call him. He was always honest with me, even when I chose to not believe in him anymore.

"Why? Why are they doing this? Any of this. Who are they? What do they want?" I gripped my pencil so tightly, my knuckles were white and little cracks came from the pencil until it broke under all the pressure.

"Isn't it what anyone always wants? Power, of course." I scoffed. Power. Why was power so fucking important? "Now, I believe our ten minutes are up." Erwin said, checking his watch.

"No, Erwin. I need to know more." I demanded, slamming my fist down.

"That's all the information I can divulge for now. Until we meet again, Rivaille." He stood and threw a wave behind his shoulder as he walked out of the shop. I stared after, in shock. Once it wore off, I bolted up from my chair, knocking it over. I'll be damned if he got away from me. I sped out of the shop and onto the busy street. People walked up and down the sidewalk, some talking on their phones and some walking a dog. My eyes wandered to the ends of the street and in between crowds. Erwin was no where to be seen.

"Fuck you, Erwin." I growled under my breath. How could he leave me like that? After what he told me, I'll be wanting to hear from Eren almost every hour. Now the only thing I wanted to do was drive my irritated ass to his house just to check on him. No one would take him. No one would use his DNA for testing like a fucking lab rat. No one would use him to bring back titans. I wouldn't let it happen. I hissed and got my things from the shop and got into my truck. I was about to speed on over to Eren's house when a thought hit me.

I could just as easily call him.

He picked up after a few rings, easing my panic.

"Hey, Levi. What's up?" His happy voice met my eardrum. I smiled and sighed with relief. I chuckled a little at how overworked I was. Erwin told me they still didn't exactly know who the DNA belonged to, so he should be safe. For now, anyways.

"Nothing. Just checking up on you. You're okay?" Eren laughed on the other line.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"No reason. Just a hunch. Anyways..." I trailed off. "Would you be up for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, sure. Give me like an hour to get ready." I looked at my watch. In an hour, it would be six o'clock.

"Sounds good. I'll be around to pick your bratty ass up at six." We exchanged goodbyes and hung up. Should I take him somewhere nice? Should I take him to IHop again? I went home and decided on making reservations at a semi-nice restaurant. I texted Eren to dress nice, he replied asking where we were going. I told him that it was surprise and he didn't need to know yet. After showering, I put on a white undershirt and black slacks. I slicked my hair back, something I only did for important events, and picked a black button up shirt and a grey tie. I tucked in the shirt and found my leather dress shoes. My glasses gave me a slight sophisticated look, so I traded my contacts for them.

After looking myself over and plucking two strands of hair down onto my forehead. The bruises were pretty much gone by now. I smiled in approval and walked out of my bedroom. My parents were seated in the living room, talking about some new show they've become sucked into. They looked up at me. My dad smiled and my mom rose her eyebrows.

"And where are you off to?" My dad stood and looked at me up and down. I kept my cold facade and tried to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal.

"I have a date, if you must know." Mom shot up from her seat and squealed.

"Who?" She gasped and straightened my tie. The gesture was in vain, mostly because I already made sure my tie was so straight it could be used as a ruler.

"Is it Eren?" Dad asked crossing his arms and smiling suggestively. I looked away, a slight tinge of pink coloring my cheeks. I smirked.

"...Yeah." They both simply smiled happily. My mom turned to Dad and held out her hand.

"Pay up." She said. I scrunched my eyebrows. What did she mean? My dad groaned and took out his wallet, unwillingly handing her ten dollars.

"What-?"

"Your father and I bet which one of you would make the first move; you or Eren. I bet on you." She smiled guiltily. My mouth hung open in offence.

"Dad, what the hell?" He sighed.

"Well, you know... You aren't very-"

"Social?" I asked with the narrow of my eyes. He smiled.

"Yeah, that." I rolled my eyes and began for the door. My mother ran after me and took my hand, sliding the ten dollar bill into my palm.

"Buy him desert, Levi." She whispered in my ear and brushed my shoulders.

"You guys are ridiculous..." I mumbled, but smiled. Soon, I was out the door and on my way to the nearest flower shop. I still had a few minutes to spare, so I decided upon getting Eren something nice. I bought a bouquet of white daisies. I couldn't stand how unoriginal roses were. I pulled up to Eren's house where Mikasa and Eren stood on their front stoop, waiting. I smiled at how nice Eren actually looked. I didn't really expect him to own that nice of clothing, but there he stood in a white dress shirt, black slacks and a red tie. His hair seemed more contained than usual and perfect white teeth shown through an bright smile at the sight of my truck. I breathed in and out deeply, keeping my nerves contained. I picked up the bouquet as a waft of a natural flowery smell invaded my senses. I climbed out of my truck to meet Eren. Mikasa's eyes brightened at the sight of flowers as an appreciative smile made a way to her usually stony face. Even in the slightly setting sun, you could see the emotions carefully flash across Eren's features; surprise, happiness, embarrassment, and excitement.

"For you." I stood in front of him, one hand behind my back and one holding out the daisies. Eren's cheeks flushed as he nervously took the bouquet. He fumbled with words to say, so Mikasa took up.

"I'll go put these in water." She handled them carefully and went back inside before shooting a smile towards me.

"Well, we should go or we'll miss our reservation." I smirked at Eren's face snapping out of some kind of trance. He laughed lightly and began walking towards the truck with me

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going?" Eren asked as we got seated.

"Nope. Not yet. But I will tell you... how cute you look..." It was my turn to feel hot and abashed. Eren fumbled with the seat belt while listening to my compliment.

"Thank you, Levi. You look very um... nice, yourself." I chuckled as I kept driving towards our destination. I could tell Eren was looking at me the whole car ride, stealing little and mostly unnoticeable glances.

"So, brat. How was your day?" I asked, hopefully trying to start some conversation.

"G-Good. I got home and my dad wasn't there, so that was something I suppose..." I nodded along.

"Yep, it is. How's the bruises and whatnot doing? Should we clean them again?" I saw Eren shake his head no out of the corner of my eye.

"No, they're going to heal soon." We continued with light conversation until we reached the restaurant. The very expensive, popular, and even elegant restaurant is perfect for first dates.

"Maria? You're taking me to Maria?" He sounded so taken aback, but also delighted.

"Yep."

"But... It's so expensive..." Eren mumbled.

"I don't care. I'm going to spoil you tonight and there's no way you can convince me not to." Eren pouted and it made me want to kiss his stupid face. "Come on.." I shooed him into the building, ready to spend so much money my wallet began to hurt.


	8. The Red Dream Catcher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey omg thank you guys so much for the positive comments. I kind of actually have an idea where this story is going and thats weird for me bc i usually make shit up as I go. Okay, well we have almost 900 hits. That probably doesnt seem like much but thats a lot to me so thank you guys so much omfg.  
> Please keep leaving comments i love reading them all and it gives me so much happiness to know people enjoy my shitty writing. ♥

Uprising

Chapter 8: The Red Dream Catcher

Levi~

Once our nice dinner was over, Eren tugged at my hand as we began walking back towards my truck, trying to get me to stop.

"What is it, brat?" I chuckled. I turned around to look at Eren who still had a tight grip on my hand.

"I don't want to go home yet... Can we do something else?" Eren asked, slowly loosing the hold on my appendage. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Well, what else do you want to do?" Eren began thinking, making little grunting noises.

"Can we walk through the city?" Eren asked, hope written all over his face. Given the time, the city wasn't really a safe place to be. It was dark and trouble comes out at night, waiting to attack the good.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea... there are some psychos out there who just wait until night to fuck shit up. If you got hurt..." I faded off at Eren's pleading look. "A puppy-dog face", if you would. "Eren, don't fucking look at me like that." Eren continued, stepping even closer to me. I tried looking away, but just knowing it was there screwed with my head.

"Levi..." He whined. I groaned.

"Fine. We'll walk for twenty minutes, then walk back. I stay near you at all times, we don't talk to anyone. Stay near streetlamps and no going into any dark allies. When I say to walk back, no arguing. I probably sound like a concerned parent... It's for the best." I put my hand on Eren's head and spun him around towards the sidewalk. I could feel how happy Eren was at my relenting. I could never say no to him. As we began walking, I knew why Eren wanted to go so bad. It was pretty relaxing, despite the fact every sound played my nerves. Now would be a great time for anyone to come along and take Eren. It'd be easy. They could come sprinting out of an alley, they could cut us off in cars and throw him into a van, they could just come up and take him and it wouldn't be that hard. Sure, I was once a master at fighting, but now... I'm not so sure. I haven't tried.

"Levi?" Eren's questioning voice and gaze brought me out of my stupor.

"Hm?" We stopped walking, a streetlamp illuminating above us. Shadows castes across his features, bringing out his glowing eyes.

"Something's been bothering you all night. What's wrong?" His fingers wrapped around my wrists, holing them tightly. With a sigh, I looked away.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I started walking again when Eren stopped.

"You're distracted and you seem worried about something." He continued to try to get me to open up. Eren started walking again as we quietly argued. Suddenly, Eren was bounded back. He'd bumped into someone, not watching where he was going.

"Idiot..." I mumbled under my breath.

"O-Oh I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Eren apologized quickly. The person who he had disturbed seemed miffed by Eren's clumsiness. Their head snapped up furiously. It was a girl. Her dull blue eyes were narrowed angrily as wisps of light blond hair strayed outside of the hood covering part of her head. Her features were very defined and also portrayed the annoyance she felt towards Eren. A large red sweater sagged too big for her small stature, although you could easily tell she could hold her own. Blue jeans with a rip on each knee went down past her feet, making me understand why the edges of each pant-leg were tattered. I swallowed my tongue as her name wanted to roll past my lips.

Annie. Eren ran into Annie; the most dangerous traitor anyone of the brigade had encountered in year 850. She almost killed Eren once or twice, which lead to me saving his ass both times. Hell, I went into her damn gullet to get him.

"Obviously..." She bit, slamming his shoulder with hers as she stormed past him. He fell into me, not prepared for the knock. I put my hands on his shoulders as we watched Annie walk away, but not without looking me in the eye before she turned a corner. Once out of sight, Eren breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jesus, I thought she was going to punch me or something." Eren said, pushing his hair back, a nervous habit I noticed.

"Yeah, and I would have knocked her on her ass." I grumbled. He glanced at me with a questionable look.

"Would you really hit a girl?" He asked with the tilt of his head. I couldn't really think of a correct answer to that. Yes, hitting a girl is wrong. In the academy we were taught that in combat, everyone was equal, regardless of gender. Girls and boys being pared to fight wasn't uncommon. Times have changed since. Women are seen as weaklings who shouldn't be able to defend themselves against men. Truth be told, a lot of women in the military were better fighters than the men.

"I don't know. If need be, I would." I know for a fact Annie would have been able to handle a fight. If I stepped up, she wouldn't back down. At least the old Annie would have. Although unsure, Annie looked to have remembered. She looked at me and it was like we were having a secret conversation. Eren made a sound like he understood.

"Wait, what were we talking about before?" Eren asked without a clue. I smirked, thanking my stars for Eren having a short attention span.

"I don't remember. Let's just drop it." He nodded. We walked until I thought it was too far and told him to turn around. Eren did without showing his discontent with doing so. This time, we held hands while walking back.

"Hey, um, Eren." Eren was mindlessly kicking a rock as my thumb rubbed soothing circles on the back of his hand.

"Hmm?" He watched as he accidentally kicked the rock into the street.

"I think we should probably talk about... Us." Eren's head turned towards me, suddenly immensely interested in what I had to say.

"Okay." Eren looked at me with wide, sparkling green orbs. I gulped, nervous about where to put this conversation.

"Well... I really like you, Eren. I know I'm a hardheaded, egotistical, unpredictable son of a bitch. There are a lot of confusing things going on for me right now. But, there's one thing I am very sure of. I don't want to lose you," again. "I know I could have brought this up sooner, but I was concerned you wouldn't feel the same." I stopped and took a shaking breath, breathing in the toxins of a big city into my lungs. The feeling of Eren's gaze burning into the side of my head stuck with me and made me even more conscious.

"You certainly are those things, I won't lie. But it's those things that have begun to grow on me. I really do like you, Levi. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Whatever calms your nerves. We haven't known each other for very long, but I feel like it's been years. Pretty crazy, I know..." I smirked thoughtfully at his choice of words. Years, huh? I chuckled and took note of the red on his cheeks against his olive skin. He gets flustered so easily. I reached up -yes, reached- and pecked a kiss on his cheek. Eren's face was a tomato as he smiled softly. We continued walking and holding hands. Eventually, my truck was in sight. Tension throughout my body relieved itself. We made it without anything substantial happening, besides running into Annie. No one tried hurting Eren, no one tried to take him. We were both safe and I never though I could feel so stress free.

Once in the safety of my truck, I locked the doors and analyzed the outside through the window. We weren't followed, I'll assume. I sighed lightly and turned towards the steering wheel. Looking over at Eren, he was giving me a confused glance.

"Paranoid much?" He asked with a cocky little grin. I glared coldly at his mockery. Anyhow, I chose to ignore the comment. We were half way to Eren's when I caught sight of the clock. It read as 9:45. Mikasa would castrate me if I brought Eren home too late. Tension began to dwell in the small space. I turned down the music until Iron & Wine was filtering softly through the speakers.

His bright eyes followed the sway of the dream catcher on the review mirror.

"Alright, brat. What is it?" Eren jumped at the sound of my voice. He began twiddling his thumbs as he hesitated.

"What are we?" He asked suddenly. I smirked at his question. "We're obviously more than friends, but are we... anything? Are we together? You know, like a couple?" He said the words so carefully like I were to bite his head off.

"Well..." I droned as I pulled up to his house. I turned off the car and turned in my seat to face him. Eren almost refused to meet my eyes. Slowly, I put my hand under his chin and forced his head to spin. He flinched at the contact, but allowed his head to look my way. His green eyes were filled with hope and admiration. "Do you want to be a couple?" My hand fell from his chin.

"Wha... yeah. I do." My eyes widened happily.

"I half expected you to say no." I mumbled, more to myself than to Eren.

"Why would I say no? We've been over this. I do like you." Eren asked. I laughed briefly.

"Because I'm a dick? Have you ever thought of that?" What was I doing? This is what I wanted. What I do want. And I'm trying to change his mind?

"Yeah. The pros of us together outweigh the cons." Eren rolled his eyes and smiled. My breathing stopped. That's exactly what he said years ago. In year 850. When I told him the consequences of our actions, if Erwin ever found out, that's exactly what he said. Eren's smile dropped. "Are you okay? You just went really pale." He said with concern.

"Eren, I'm always pale." He sighed and let it go. "Okay, so you really want this? Us?" He grabbed my hands and laced our fingers together.

"Yes. Do you?" I laughed harshly and squeezed his hands.

"Of course. I couldn't leave you hanging like that." Eren smiled as his face flushed in the moon shining through the windshield. A warm feeling blossomed inside my chest. My feelings for Eren are still as potent as they were so many years ago. For the first time in a long time, I smiled. A real smile, not a cocky smirk that annoys anyone and everyone. My white teeth showed and the corners of my eyes crinkled. I attempted to hide it with my hand but Eren caught it.

"Oh my god, you're smile is so... adorable." I turned away and tried to stifle it with awkward coughs.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I am not adorable. I'm an asshole." Eren giggled and leaned his head on my shoulder. I caught sight of Mikasa standing outside on the porch, waiting. I cleared my throat. "Sister goose is waiting for younger brother duckling." I tipped my head towards his house and Eren peeked over.

He groaned into my shirt. "I don't want to go home..." His voice was muffled, but I understood what he said.

"I know, kid. But it's okay. If you want, you can Skype me later." He lifted his head and smiled, but it wasn't bright or cheery. It was just a facial movement. He was about to climb out of the car when I put my hand on the back of his head. My fingers twisted into his brown locks as I brought his face close to mine. Our lips met for our second kiss. It was a lot nicer than the first. It was slow and filled with passion. His lips were slightly dry at first, but soon became soft and warm. It was just how I remembered it to be. He still tasted somewhat like the chocolate cake I had bought him at Maria with the ten dollars my mother gave me. Once we separated our swollen lips, I noticed just how red Eren's face was.

"Are you never not flustered?" I whispered in his face. Our breathing was hitched and uneven.

"Hey, you're cheeks are even a little red." He replied in a matter-of-fact voice. I chuckled and pecked him once more on the lips.

"Now get out of my car, you little brat." Our eyes met once more. His were wide and dilated.

"Ass..." He grumbled, though endearingly.

"You signed up for this." I told him as he opened the door and stepped out.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't change a thing about it." The door slammed shut with a smirking Eren on the other side. He sent a wave over his shoulder as he went inside his house. I mumbled something along the lines of "idiot" to myself as I started the truck and drove away.  
\---

My hands twitched angrily inside my sweatshirt pockets. Erwin wasn't getting away from me now. I'd come to school early so as to speak with the asshole before students would get here and it would seem less suspicious. If anyone asked, I'd tell them I had morning tutoring in English. My jaw clenched and relaxed ceremoniously. Finally I made it to the English room. I slammed open the door, ready to give Erwin hell. My mouth opened, about to start accusations and threats. I stopped in my place.

Erwin wasn't sitting at his desk. It wasn't like no one was there, there was, but it wasn't Erwin. It was a dark skinned man with no hair. He wore a button up with a tie and slacks. His brown eyes were wide behind a pair of golden set glasses.

"Who... Who are you?" I finally stuttered words. The man pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"I'm Mr. Hochi." He stood and set a small stack of papers on his desk.

"A substitute?" I mumbled, mostly to myself.

"No, not a sub. I'm new. Mr. Smith suddenly resigned last night. So, I'm the new English teacher." Mr. Hochi stepped from behind the desk and stared at me with an emotionless face. I matched him.

"He resigned? The hell...?" Mr. Hochi crossed his arms in a way that means "I'm better than you". I sneered. Mr. Hochi was bullshit. I'm normally a great judge of character, and Mr. Hochi is not one to be trusted.

"Can I ask you your name, boy?" He smiled slightly and it made my stomach churn. My Adam's apple bobbed up and down in my dry throat.

"Levi." I croaked. "Levi Heichou." Mr. Hochi stepped back to his desk and picked up the papers again. His eyes scanned the page and landed mid way.

"Levi R. Heichou, first period class, class B troublemaker." He looked back to me as if looking for confirmation.

"Seems about right." I replied to his information. He smiled knowingly and put the packet down.

"So, what are you doing here Levi?" Mr. Hochi leaned back onto the desk and crossed his ankles and arms once again. Slightly, I glared. This guy was too cocky.

"Erw- Mr. Smith tutored me. In the mornings." I leaned against the doorway, daring him to argue.

"Oh, well I'm sorry. Mr. Smith isn't around anymore." My eyes narrowed even farther. This guy was hiding something.

"I see that. Do you know why he quit?" Mr. Hochi twitched a tad under my scrutinizing gaze.

"No idea. It was out of no where." Mr. Hochi smiled as if he was harmless.

"Hm." My throat buzzed as I spun back around and walked out of the classroom.

Erwin resigned yesterday, the same day he told me of plans for reviving the titans. Did the organization find out he told and is forcing him to keep quiet? Did he simply resign for the fact of getting away from me, to keep me from hounding him? Does he not want to be found? I speeded for the exit, desperate to get out of here before school started. Anger burned in the pit of my stomach. My teeth ground together. In my huff, I rammed into someone. They tumbled to the ground and groaned. I stared at the person who I had accidentally bumped into. I growled frustratingly.

Mike sat on the ground, staring up at me with disdain.

"Watch where you're going, faggot." He stood and grabbed my collar in a threatening manor.

"You know what? I honestly don't give a shit." I shoved him away and kneed him in the groin. The air left his lungs and he was once again on the ground. I walked away. By this time, the rage was unbearable. I was seeing almost all red and I needed something to let it out on.

I wasn't sure how I'd gotten into my car. I wasn't even sure how I got on the highway. Everything went by in blurs. The last thing I remember was headlights going my way. Suddenly, there was the loud sound of metal on metal. I felt as though I was flying through the air. My head flung into the window and everything cut to black.  
\---

Eren~

I walked into English and sat down. A yawn escaped as I kept a close watch on the door, waiting for a certain black haired man to walk through. My... Boyfriend. My cheeks warmed at only the thought. I leaned my chin on my palm, which meant my elbow rested on the table. A soft sigh blew out through my nose as my eyes drifted closed.

"Eren." They snapped open to see Hanji standing in front of my desk, smiling.

"Hey, Hanji." I smiled softly back as she squinted her eyes. Slowly, her face got closer to mine. As and reflex, I backed my head up. Hanji belted out in laughter.

"Oh, Eren! You have the look of a love struck teenage girl!" My eyes widened. She got that just by looking at me?

"I-I wouldn't exactly call it 'love'..." I mumbled. Hanji's smiled big and bright.

"Who is it?!" She screamed joyously. I flinched at the octave in her voice.

"U-um..."

"Is it Levi?!" Hanji was almost jumping over my desk.

"If I say yes will you please calm down? You're kind of scaring me..." Hanji instantly calmed herself.

"I knew it would happen sooner or later." She smiled triumphantly before walking back to her seat. The bell wrung not too long after. A man, whom I've never seen before, walked in. He introduced himself as Mr. Hochi and explained that Mr. Smith would no longer be our teacher. I found it odd, but decided not to question. Levi never came in first period. Or second. Or lunch. He didn't come in at all. Maybe he overslept and decided it wasn't worth coming in. We did kind of stay out later than considered reasonable. Oh well. I'll call him when I get home.

And I did. I got home and called him but it went straight to voice mail. I left him one, asking why he wasn't at school and didn't answer his phone. I called him again and again. I didn't want to seem obsessive, but I was worried. Even if he did skip school, he would have texted me or something. He knows I grow concerned easily. As I was about to call his phone again, Mikasa turned on the tv in the living room. The news echoed in the back of my mind, not really earning my interest.

"A black Escalade was found overturned off the side of St. Julius highway. The driver, whom was the only passenger inside the truck. From the witnesses, they said that the truck had swerved into the opposite lane, hitting a tanker truck head on. The boy pulled from the wreckage has been taken to the local hospital and is in critical condition." I looked up in time to see the truck that had been hit. Somehow, I caught sight of a red dream catcher in the road. My eyes widened significantly as my phone slipped from grasp. That truck... Levi had a black Escalade.

And he had a dream catcher that looked just like that on his mirror.

My hands went straight for my mouth as I tried to calm the whimpers. Tears welled and spilled onto my cheeks. Mikasa's head swiveled towards me.

"Levi..." I whined. Mikasa gasped.

"No. It can't be." She shook her head, unwilling to believe.

"LEVI HAS A BLACK ESCALADE, MIKASA!" I screamed dropping my head into my lap. Mikasa leaped off the couch and ran to me as fast as she could. Her arms wrapped around my shaking figure.

"Other people have black Escalades, Eren." She whispered as she rocked me back and forth.

"He wasn't at school. He wasn't answering my calls. The truck... The dream catcher..." Mikasa continued to hush me as I cried. It all added up. What was I supposed to do now? I don't even know for sure if it was him. It seemed pretty obvious. But even if there was just a one percent possibility that it wasn't him, I want to know.

What if it is him? They said the driver was in critical condition. Levi could be dying.

What the fuck?

What the...


	9. Hospitalization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am surprised I got this out before I died of old age and decayed.  
> Thats all.  
> Feedback is encouraged. ♥

Uprising

Chapter 9: Hospitalization

Levi~

My military boots clacked loudly across the wooden floor. Erwin called me into his office, so he must want something. It was not very likely I was in trouble, but Erwin calling me during lunch without the rest of the team was unusual. With the lift of an eyebrow, I walked into Captain Smith's office and letting the door shut behind me. Erwin focused on filling out some papers for the next mission when he finally looked up. Something was wrong. Erwin's face hardly ever showed how he felt, but his eyes always had some sense of warmth. At lest at Levi they did. Right now, they were stone cold. He actually seemed angry.

"Erwin?" I said, shocked. He stood and slammed a book shut. My eyes narrowed.

"Hello, Corporal." Erwin bit, holding his hands behind his back. "Please, take a seat." Knowing Erwin was not one to be pushed, I slid into a seat slowly.

"What's wrong?" I said. The look he gave me actually held disgust.

"Have you spoken to Eren Jaeger lately?" He said while beginning to slowly pace around my chair in a threatening way.

"I just spoke to him in the lunch hall. Why?" I leaned back and folded my leg over my knee. My arms we strewn across the armrests, showing I wasn't perturbed by his off-putting attitude.

"I've been hearing some strange things about you two lately." Erwin continued. My stomach dropped but I showed no sign of worry.

"Like what, Sir?" My eyes frantically followed his every move.

"Someone told me they saw you two embrace one another on a roof, late at night." He said as if it were the most ridiculous accusation ever thought of. I swallowed nervously but didn't reply. "That's not true, though. Right, Corporal?" He stopped right in front of me. Still, I didn't reply. I was an alright liar, but not to Erwin. He's always able to tell so I usually don't lie to him.

"I need to get to work." I replied after some silence. Beginning to stand, Erwin glared at me.

"Sit. Down." He growled. A sigh blew from my nose as I made eye contact with Captain Smith. I lowered back down in a huff. "Levi... Are you and Eren in a homosexual relationship?"

Erwin said some what calmly.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask the kid?" I crossed my arms, instantly regretting my words. If he asked Eren, he'd have no choice but to answer truthfully. He can't dance around the truth like me.

"I wanted to ask you first because I knew you would hesitate to answer. If you weren't, you would have denied it." I gulped and looked away.

"Yeah. We are." I whispered. Rage was blowing off of Erwin like a cold front. I looked at him and waited for the worst.

"Eren will be moved to a different squad immediately. When we go with our plan to take back Wall Maria, Eren will be stationed in Shiganshina. You'll be in the next station. You are no longer in charge of Eren Jaeger." Erwin replied after sitting down at his desk. My eyes widened and I stood on shaking legs.

"You can't do that. No, I need to be in the same squad with him. Who else is going to keep his ass out of trouble?" My voice was climbing at a frantic level. Erwin just can't do that.

"I just did. He's old enough to take care of himself." But he was still learning how to use his titan powers. He was weak and impulsive. I was barely able to keep him from turning because he thought it would help. If I can barely do it, no one else can.

"But-"

"Levi, I am done talking about this. Look what he's done to you. You're resisting orders so blatantly. You never do that."

"Because I'm trying to protect Eren! You know that he's dangerous!" Erwin stood and met with me half way as I began stepping closer to him.

"Do not argue with me." His tone was low and fatal. I sighed and looked at him in the eye. I was aware of the hurt on my face, along with the worry.

"Fine." I grumbled and left, slamming the door behind me.

Fuck him. Shit, what was I supposed to do now? I was in too deep with Eren to break up with him now. I loved him, whether I was willing to admit it or not. I ran for the lunch hall and saw Eren sitting with Armin and Mikasa. Mikasa was trying to get Eren to eat, but he pushed his tray away. My eyebrows squinted as I saw him look around with his arms pulled close to his body. Finally his eyes landed on me and a little smile. With the nod of my head, I insinuated that I needed to speak with him alone. This wasn't going to be fun.  
~

Beep... Beep... Beep...

That's all I heard in my ears while suddenly the darkness in my head cleared. My hands and feet twitched as blood began to flow through my body. Slowly, my eyes opened to see fluorescent bright lights overhead. A groan gurgled from my dry throat. My arm came up to block the light when I noticed the tubes and wires connected to it. An IV pumped clear liquid into my bloodstream. I itched at it a little before stopping. Picking up my other arm was more difficult and felt heavy. It was wrapped in a cast from my elbow to my wrist and molded around my hand. Once my eyes adjusted, I looked all over. A hospital? Why was I in a damn hospital? Did something happen to me? I began to sat up when pain spread through out my abdomen and my head spun. Another choked noise later and I was flopping back down onto the pillow that smelled like disinfectant. The whole room smelled like disinfectant. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, considering how much I liked things to be clean, but it made me a bit dizzy. I looked and found the nurses station button and pressed it, waiting for assistance.

"Mr. Heichou?" A girly voice said into the room after the door opened. I looked over and I gasped. Petra was my nurse. She stepped in wearing green scrubs. Her red hair was long and bounced in a pony tail on top of her head. Big, golden brown eyes looked at me as she smiled sweetly. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hello." I replied in a deep, groggy voice.

"Oh," She held up a finger and left. She came back a few seconds later with a pitcher of ice water. Petra poured some into a plastic cup and handed it to me. Greedily, I gulped down the cool drink. I sighed thankfully when it was gone. "Better?"

I nodded. "Thank you." She poured another and set the pitcher down on the bedside tray table.

"Mr. Heichou..." She said, suddenly serious.

"Levi." I said, correcting her. I hated being called by my last name as if I was a forty year old accountant.

She smirked. "Levi. My name is Petra Ral. Just call me Petra, alright?"

"Seems fair." Petra sighed and nodded.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

My eyebrows furrowed as I thought. What was the last thing I remembered? Well... I was at school, angrily walking to my car. I got in and began driving. There's a big blank spot and then headlights shining in my face.

"Headlights." I said, taking a sip of water and leaning back to stare at the ceiling.

"You were in a car accident. Your truck hit a freight liner head on. You flew and landed flipped on the side of the highway. When paramedics pulled you out, you were bleeding steadily from your head and stomach. A piece of metal tore your stomach and we assumed when you flew, you smacked your head against the window and passed out. The steering wheel caught your left arm under itself so it broke in two places. Also, Levi, you've been in a coma for a month." Petra said, nervously turning her hands around each other.

Instantly I sat up, surprised. "A month? What the fuck?" My eyes went wide and I combed my fingers through my hair stress-fully. My head wobbled but I didn't lay back down this time.

She smiled guiltily. "Yeah, I know. Time sure does fly when you get into a life threatening car accident. Levi, for a while we thought you weren't going to make it. We told your parents not to be too optimistic, and to possibly expect the worst. You'd lost a lot of blood and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. It was hard to tell if you were going to suffer from memory loss or mental retardation. But you seem to be responding well." Petra sighed and took out a flashlight and told me to follow her finger while she shined the light in my eyes. It was simple to do and I did it just fine. "The piece of metal just grazed your left kidney and missed any other arteries or organs. Your arm will probably take the least amount of time to heal." I sighed.

"Have my parents been visiting me?" I asked, looking up at Petra's friendly face.

"Yes. They almost never want to leave. They should be visiting today, actually." She said, checking my vitals and recording them.

"Wait, has a boy around my age been here? Messy brown hair, big greenish-blue eyes. His name is Eren...?" She looked over and smiled a knowing smile.

"He comes in with your parents every now and then. He's quite the adorable thing." She said, giggling at the excitement on his face. Her face changed to something more sad. "He really cares about you, you know. When he visited the first time, when we didn't think you'd pull through, he was a mess. He was crying and holding your hand and talking to you as if you could hear him." There were tears in her eyes thinking about it. "Eren is such a sweet kid..." She mumbled and looked back at me. My stomach sunk to the ground and I rubbed my eyes, picturing him crying and holding my hand as he thought I was going to die.

"Ugh, god damn kid..." I grumbled. I wanted to see him so bad. Looking back over at Petra, she was again grinning at me.

"So, is he your boyfriend?" My cheeks heated up and I looked away from her patronizing face.

"...Maybe." I told her. She squealed and giggled.

"That's so cute! I'll phone your parents and tell them you're awake and your vitals are fine." She said, snapping the book closed. Before she shut the door, she spoke again. "Oh, and I'll tell them you want to see Eren." She laughed again.

An hour later, my door was busting open with my parents coming into the room excitedly.

"Oh, Levi!" My mother cried grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly against her chest.

"Hi Mom, Dad." My dad smiled with tears in his eyes. We all talked and caught up on things while I was unconscious. My truck was totaled, costing more to repair than to buy a new car.

"Levi, why were you on the highway? How did you swerve into the other lane? They tested your blood. You weren't under the influence of anything. Did you lose control of your truck?" My mother asked. Recalling things, I was very angry. I didn't mean to do any of that.

"I don't know. I was really mad and I was just kind of was... on auto-pilot. I barely remember even getting in my truck." They sighed and looked at each other.

"Okay. Well, it's done and over with. So let's just forget about it and wait for you to heal." Mom said smiling gratefully. I nodded and looked back up at the ceiling. "Oh, and we have someone in the waiting room who wants to see you." They were both smirking knowingly. I gulped and nodded.

"I want to see him too..." I mumbled. "Can he come in?" I didn't really care if he wasn't aloud to or not he was coming in here whether they were going to let him or not.

"Of course. We'll go get him and let you guys catch up." My mom sunk into my dad's side with relief as they walked out of the room to get Eren. I Patted down my hair and fixed my hospital tee shirt and pajama pants. I looked up and my heart jumped. Eren stood there with tears built up in his beautiful green eyes and his hands over his mouth. He didn't look so good. His hair was messier than usual and his skin was paler than his natural olive tone. He wore blue jeans and a sweatshirt with his black Chucks. I opened my arms and spoke the first thing that came to my head.

"Well come here you little shit." He rushed over and threw his arms around me. I hugged him tightly and felt him bury his face into my neck. For some reason, it felt I was hugging more air and less Eren. Finally he pulled back and sat in the chair next to my bed. He held my hands so gently he made me feel like I would break. Tears fell down his sickly white cheeks and fell off his chin. Eren took his sleeve and wiped the liquids from his face. My eyebrows furrowed at the sight of a purple mark on the tops of his hands. I looked at them and then back at him.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just so glad you're okay." He relented and laid his head on the edge of my bed. Carefully, I picked up his hand and rubbed it around the bruises. It spanned across his fingers and knuckles. I saw the shadow of another bruise just near the mouth of his sleeve. Slowly I pulled up his sleeve to see bruises all up and down his arm.

"What about the other arm?" I said after setting his sleeve back into place. He pulled his head up and looked at my fingers playing with his.

"Same thing." He shrugged. "I'm fine. But you just woke up from a coma. Are you okay? How do you feel?" Eren looked up to my eyes. They seemed so tired and dull with the dark circles under them

"The nurse said I should heal just fine. No permanent damage, I think." He smiled a little bit and squeezed my hand. "Eren you look..." I couldn't finish my sentence. How did he look? Sad? Ill? "Why do you look like you haven't eaten or slept in a week?"

Eren smiled sadly and looked away. "Mikasa tried getting me to eat this morning. I had some toast, so she was happy with that." My eyes narrowed.

"You haven't been taking care of yourself?" His silence told me that was true. "What the hell, Eren? You look like you're about to fall over." Anger underlined my voice and he flinched. I felt bad for being angry with him, but at the same time I had the right to be. When I'm inactive for a few weeks, I don't expect Eren to go and kill himself.

"Levi, I'm alright. Seriously. I just want to enjoy being here with you." He put his hands over his face and leaned his elbows on the tops of his legs. I sighed and ran my fingers through his oak hair. It was certainly a lot longer since the last time I saw him.

"I'm sorry I got mad but... I just want you to be healthy." I mumbled, stress clawing at my chest. My hands grabbed the sides of his face with care and I pulled his head up to look at me. "The world doesn't fucking stop spinning because I'm hurt. You don't stop living because I might not." More tears ran down his face and I wiped them away and kissed him softly on the lips. He kissed back meekly and I smiled against his lips. After we separated we talked for at least a half hour.

"You know... It wasn't just you that fucked me up... My dad has gotten worse. Before, there used to be at least two or three days where he didn't even talk to me. But now its everyday he kicks me or slaps me. Something every day. Mikasa hardly leaves her room anymore and I figured it would be easier to just not care anymore. I still cared about you though. I never stopped worrying about whether you'd wake up or not." Eren's eyes slid from mine, too ashamed to make eye contact. I frowned and thought about how much I hated his dad.

"Why don't you tell the police? If it's getting that bad, they have to do something. Anything is better than being with that asshat." Eren sighed and shook his head.

"No, no way. I've heard plenty of stories about kids who have bad home lives that tell the police and child services just made things worse. They weren't helped. I can handle this until I graduate next year." He seemed more afraid of child services than his dad. "Just one more year..." Eren whispered to himself. I layed back down onto the pillows and sunk into my bed.

Yeah, one more year.

Eren~

I left the hospital with Levi's parents. Since this has happened, they and I have become closer. They actually now feel like more like parents than my dad, which wasn't a surprise. A stranger on the street would be more of a parent figure than my dad. I sat in the back seat of their car and watched the world blur past the window.

"So, Eren." Levi's mother started. "Isn't it great Levi is okay?" I turned to look at her and put on a bright smile.

"Yeah, it's such a relief." She smiled back. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed on my hands. More specifically, the bruises on them. Nonchalantly, I pulled my hands into my sleeves. She smiled at me again before slowly turning to face forward.

I gulped. That can't be good.

Two weeks later, Levi is released from the hospital. I didn't know he was at the time. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket as I handed a customer their iced latte. I'm not aloud to check my phone during work, so I ignored it. In the time Levi was in the hospital, I had gotten a job at a local cafe. I was busy wiping down the counter when someone came up to the register to order something. I looked up and smiled.

"What can I get you?" I said cheerily, like I was told to say.

"Hmm... An iced cinnamon mocchiato." Her blue eyes skimmed the menu board behind me and she pushed back stands of blonde hair. Something about her seemed quite familiar as her features stood out in my mind. I nodded and told her the total and I asked for her name.

"Annie." She said. I wrote it down onto the cup and went to make her drink. After I was done, she met me at the counter and took it. She went and sat at a table. I didn't really pay her much attention after that. Maybe an hour later, I was payed a visit.

I walked out of the back kitchen to see a boy with black hair split in the middle and a sling around his arm.

"Levi?" I asked ridiculously. My eyes were wide as he stood in front of the counter with a cocky grin.

"I just got out of the hospital. I texted you, but you didn't answer. Then my parents told me you had a job and that you were probably working. They told me where, and here I am." I smiled at his explanation. "While I'm here, mind getting me a coffee?"

I laughed and nodded. "Sure." I got his coffee and took my break. We talked for a while and Levi told me he would stay until my shift was over. Once it was over, we walked out of the shop.

"My dad gave me a ride here, so we are probably going to have to walk. It's not that far anyways." Levi said as he held the door open for me. I smiled and nodded, ready to walk with Levi. We began with his good arm on my side so I could hold his hand as we walked. I laughed at the jokes Levi made, which he barely ever did. I savored it.

"How have you been doing, Eren?" He asked seriously. My smiled slipped away like condensation on a window. I looked at my feet as we stepped along the cracks on the sidewalk. As much as I wanted to say that things were getting better at home, it wasn't. Not by a long shot. And Levi would know I was lying.

"Fine." I said shortly, making sure not to meet his concerned stare.

"Eren..."

"I don't want to talk about it." I snapped. My eye's widened. I had never snapped on Levi before. At least, not like that. I looked over at him, panicked. "Levi, I-" I stopped at the hurt in his expression he so coyly tried to hide. "I'm sorry..." I mumbled, ashamed.

"It's alright. I mean, I understand why you don't want to talk about it. It's just... We've always told each other everything. We haven't tried to hide anything, we've talked about our problems. I want to find a way to help you." He groaned, frustration creating lines between his eyebrows. I kept my silence for a bit longer when I realized I might feel a twinge better to tell him.

"Mikasa has been talking about moving out..." I mumbled. Levi stopped and looked back at me with confusion all over his face. "She's at her wits end and I'm not surprised. She's eighteen, old enough to live on her own. She's had a job long enough to pay the bills of our house and to save up for her own apartment. Hell, I want her to get out of there. If I can't, than she should." I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to rub the tiredness due to lack of sleep from my eyes.

"Tell her you want to come with her." He looked at me as if it was obvious.

I shook my head. "She barley has enough to support herself, let alone me too. Sure, I have a job, but it doesn't pay much. Plus... I just can't leave my dad to drink himself to death." Levi put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his embrace.

"I don't mean to point this out... But what's stopping him from doing that now? It's obvious he's dumb enough to not care about you, so how does he not drink until he's puking up blood?" Levi asked. I didn't want to say that I'd been thinking about that for years now.

"I guess I just wanted to believe my one and only parent cared about me, even just a little." Levi ran his fingers through my hair and played with the tips. It was so calming when he did.

"Oh, Eren. You don't need him. You have plenty of other people who care about you. Me, Mikasa, Armin, all of our other friends."

"But Levi... I don't remember what it's like to have a parental figure. Don't you think that's a little sad?" I looked up at him, tears welling in my eyes. I don't think I've ever felt the need to cry so much in my whole life. He ran his thumb down the side of my face before he lightly kissed my cheek.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. I sighed and nodded. Without the single mention of my dad for the rest of the walk, we went to my house.


	10. Captured

Uprising

Chapter 10: Captured

Levi~

On the way back to Eren's house, we were both mostly silent. It gave me time to think about the dream I had while I was unconscious. When Erwin found out about Eren and I. I could still recall how angry he was. I knew he would have been, but I was uncertain why. Erwin never looked at either of us as the same. He barely looked at me like I was a Corporal. After that, he treated Eren like shit. I wanted to say something, but it would have been in vain. God, the look on Eren's face when I told him was heartbreaking. He started panicking and spluttering a bunch of nonsense. Kind of like he does now.

We were half way to Eren's when I got the profound feeling of being watched and followed. I looked around behind me. My eyes narrowed at a shadow hiding behind a tree. Whoever it was, they can't know where Eren lives. What if it's someone from the organization that wants him? Hell, that's probably who it is anyways. Who else would it be? I felt Eren stiffen next to me.

"Levi? What is it?" He asked tugging lightly on my hand. My eyes dragged over the shadow once more before I turned to look at Eren as if I hadn't noticed we were being followed.

"Nothing. Thought I saw a cat." I lied, hoping he bought it.

"You like cats?" He asked, disbelief in his voice.

"They're cleaner than dogs, that's for sure." I scoffed. Actually, I adored cats.

"True. You really do like things to be clean, I noticed." He mumbled, more to himself.

"Being messy is not an option for me. I've always like things to be clean." And by always I meant literally always. I may not remember much of my other lives, but I knew I was a clean soul even then. Eren hummed, like he was thinking. We passed an alley when Eren stopped and backtracked.

"What is it?" I asked as his attention became taken with the dark extension.

"Wait, I think I actually saw a cat in here..." He mumbled to himself. I got a bad vibe and searched behind us. A face peeked out from the side of a building as Eren began walking into the alley. Hold on... Erwin? Immediately, I felt like an idiot for not seeing it was him and becoming so worked up.

"Lose Eren. We need to talk." A text vibrated his phone as he checked it. How did he get my number? I felt if it wasn't important, than Erwin wouldn't being following me like this.

"Hey, brat!" I yelled into the alley. His head poked up from looking behind a dumpster. "I need to get you home. Don't worry about a damn cat."

Eren huffed in frustration. "It got away." He shrugged.

"Oh well." I grumbled and took another glance behind me. Erwin stood, still stony faced as usual.

We made it back to his house. At the edge of the lawn, he hesitated. He turned around and looked at me.

"Levi..." He stopped, seeming to reconsider his words. "Be safe, okay?" Eren said, pushing his hair from his eyes.

"Me? You're the one that should attempt to be safe. It's not like it's Willie Wonka's fucking Chocolate Factory in there." I nodded my head to the house. Eren scoffed and stared into my eyes with his turquoise irises.

"But I'm also not the one that just got out of the hospital." Eren replied smartly.

"Eren, I don't even have a fucking car so it's not really possible for me to get into another accident." He nodded at my reasoning.

"True... Okay, I should head in. Thank you for walking me home." Eren smiled and butterflies bubbled in my chest. I couldn't help but felt the ends of my lips curl up slightly.

"Of course, brat. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

"I'm not sure." He chuckled and bent his head down slightly. He tossed a nervous look over his shoulder to make sure his dad wasn't in the window. When he turned his head back towards me, he captured my lips in a kiss. I was somewhat surprised, because he was never the one to initiate the kiss. Although, I melded into the kiss instantly. The fact Erwin was probably still watching us was merely a thought in the back of my mind. Deciding to make a bold move, I took my good arm and wrapped it around is waist and pulled his body closer to mine. Eren smiled against my lips and put his arms around my shoulders. We moved rhythmically as our lips glided over one another's. Our lips broke apart for a breath of air into our burning lungs. I licked my swollen lips as we opened our eyes. Eren rested his forehead on mine.

"We should do that more often..." I whispered as Eren shook with laughter. Finally, we separated ourselves. Eren waved goodbye as he entered his house. I smiled and chuckled briefly.

I walked a bit down the street before calling out.

"Alright, Erwin. Get your ass out here." Soon enough, Erwin appeared through a bunch of bushes. As he stepped onto the road, I noticed the way he didn't look me in the eye. "Oh for fucks sake, I'm a teenager in a relationship. I should be able to kiss my boyfriend in public without having you look at me as if I got naked on his front lawn."

"Yes, I understand that. It's just... Odd. Seeing you so happy with him..." Erwin huffed. My eyebrows rose slightly.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" I asked, mostly messing with him. He only glared at me and looked away. I gulped. Was he jealous? I shook my head, probably miss-reading him. It wasn't hard to do, especially because it was fucking Erwin. "Anyways, what was so important that you had to stalk us to talk to me?"

"I have more information on the certain subject I talked to you about before, if you understand." Erwin said, his voice lowering as he stepped closer. I nodded eagerly.

"Well, let's hear it. I wouldn't want your eyebrows to grow impatient." He rolled his eyes.

"...Not here." He mumbled, his eyes looking around crazily like he knew someone was listening.

"Fuck, where then?" I asked, already beginning to become annoyed with Erwin's antics. He sighed and nodded.

"Come with me." He began on a trail through the woods. I gulped at the thought of going in the woods. Woods were always so dirty. Despite myself, I followed. This was the way to tell that I was desperate for this information. After a few minutes of walking, I could see a clearing in the distance. Once in the clearing, Erwin looked around before turning to me.

"This should be good enough." I crossed my arms as he began to speak.

"The organization is called Colossal. It's lead by a bunch of people from our past. Some of them were enemies, some of them were- believe it or not- allies. Their main goal is to bring back the titans, as I've said before. Considering titan DNA is far different from human, they will clone them. It can be done, surprisingly enough. If my information is correct, they already suspect Eren." My stomach dropped and my eyes widened considerably. I felt as though I was going to be sick.

"You must be careful. If they catch him and you are with him, there is a good chance they might even kill you. They have no use for you. If they do catch Eren, they will have to manipulate his DNA. Maybe even put it in other people to test and see if they can change through a DNA transfer. The only way they can get the DNA to activate correctly is if Eren were to remember. Colossal is a very dangerous group and should not be underestimated. Levi, we need to make up a team. A team to fight them, kill even if necessary. We need to be ready for war."

I spluttered something incoherent, slightly in shock. With a groan, I stopped trying to talk. My finger tips began to massage my temples as a migraine began to pound my skull.

"How do you expect me to do that? Erwin, we're the only one's who fucking remember." I growled, not liking where this was heading.

"We need to make them remember. There has to be a way." Erwin muttered desperately.

"So, basically, what you want me to do is to do all the damn work in putting this team together while you sit in your house with the windows and doors locked? You don't even work for the school anymore!" I told him, angry. Suddenly, his face showed guilt. Actual guilt. It was a lovely color on Erwin.

"I know. I also saw what happened on the highway. And, Levi, I'm sorry. I know that almost costed your life. I knew you'd be mad, but not so much you lost control...I feel as though that was partly my fault." He said, sighing and tugging his brown leather jacket closer to his body. I scoffed lightly and looked away.

"Whatever. So, a team... Doesn't seem that hard." I said sarcastically.

"You'll figure something out, Ravaille. You always do." Erwin replied evenly. I flinched at the old nickname.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, I better get going. I'll be in contact, yet again." He started back to the trail when I remembered something.

"Wait." I cleared my throat. Erwin stopped but didn't turn around. "Why... Why did you hate that Eren and I were together back then? Why did you separate us? Why were you so disgusted with us?" Hatred found it's way into my voice. Whenever I thought about this, I would always end up seething mad.

"I wasn't disgusted with you guys. I didn't mean for Eren to get killed. It wasn't a very Captain-like decision."

"So, why did you do it?" Erwin sighed yet again.

"I can't..." Suddenly, he was jogging away into the woods. A growl hissed through my clenched teeth. Erwin was such a fucking asshole.

Eren~

Mikasa was sitting on the couch when I got home. She called me over as if she was just waiting for me to walk through the door. I lowered myself onto the old couch with loud squeaking springs.

"What is it?" I asked. She turned towards me a serious look on her face.

"I found an apartment cheap enough. It may not be that nice, but it's a lot better than this shit hole..." My eyes widened. I didn't realize how soon she was planning this.

"Oh... Okay." I mumbled and smiled, trying to look happy for her.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to leave?" She asked surprised. I looked at her confused.

"Wait.. Do you mean that... I'm coming with you?" I asked, shocked.

She laughed. "Of course you are! I would never leave you here! Do you really think that lowly of me?" I smiled, tears brimming my eyes.

"B-But what about expenses?" I asked.

"You have a job. You can use that to buy things you need. I'll worry about the bills. Also, I picked up a second job. We're going to be okay, Eren." She smiled at my excitement. Suddenly, tears began streaming down my cheeks. Instantly, her arms were around my body.

"It'll still be in Trost, so you can still see Levi and go to school here." Mikasa mumbled to me. For a few minutes, I cried. Not of sadness, but of relief.

"It's finally over..." I said between little sobs. Mikasa rubbed my shoulder.

"Yeah, it's over." I hid my face in my hands as happiness bubbled in my stomach. A few deep breaths later, I was fine. I was better than fine. I was ecstatic.

"What do you think Dad will do?" I asked. Mikasa thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure. Maybe the threat of homelessness will be enough to kick his ass into getting his shit together." She shrugged, but smiled behind her scarf. I nodded and took my phone out. I texted Levi the good news. He video called me later that night. He was so happy for me. Seriously, I never thought I'd seen him so bubbly. I loved it. He smiled a big grin with teeth and all. I could not get enough of his smiles.

The next day, there was a quiet knock on the front door. I went to the door and looked through the peephole. A head full of blond hair caught my attention. Armin stood with his thumb on his lip and a thoughtful look on his features. His hair was pulled back in a little pony tail and I realized it was a good look for him. I opened the door enough to show my face and some of my body. His head snapped up with a small smile.

"What are you...?" I looked around behind him and saw no one else was around.

"Eren, can we talk?" Armin said. I sighed and looked behind me. My dad wasn't home and Mikasa was at work, so the house was empty, aside from me of course.

"Um, I guess." I muttered and opened the door enough so that he could walk in. After closing the door behind Armin, his eyes wondered over all of the things in the living room. His eyes narrowed at the dent that still wasn't fixed, but said nothing. "Have a seat, man." I told him, gesturing to the couch. He did and I sat next to him.

"Mikasa told me everything. Your father, your mother. All of it." I understood what he meant by "everything" and nodded. I figured he was going to find out sooner or later. My jaw clenched and released multiple times. Suddenly, Armin's hand ghosted over my wrist. I flinched but continued to let him look at the bruises that had begun to fade on my arm. His fingers prodded around the marks, causing me dull pains. "Are there more?" Armin asked in low voice. As if on auto pilot, I stood and lifted my shirt to show my abdomen and back. There were some scars from the glass before, and there were semi new bruises that mixed with the old yellow ones. Dropping my shirt, I turned to Armin and looked at his horrified expression. I gulped and began to the kitchen for glasses of water. Once poured, I went and handed one to Armin. He drank it slowly and then set it on the coffee table.

"Well." I shrugged and swirled the water in my glass.

"How long...?" Armin asked, his voice slightly gravelly.

"Since I was maybe eleven, ten. Some time around there." He sighed and crossed his arms.

"You need to do something, tell someone!" Armin said as if it was obvious.

"You sound like Levi..." I scoffed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Does Levi know?" Armin asked as he stood to meet me. I nodded and took a sip of water. The face he made almost seemed disappointed.

"Armin?" I asked. The face was gone when he looked up.

"Oh, nothing. Just... I guess I'm a little hurt by the fact you told Levi before me. We were really close once, you know?" He smiled sadly and fumbled with his thumbs. I smirked back and scratched the back of my neck.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. Levi's just... He's special to me. He was there when I had no one, so." I cleared my throat and broke off my sentence. "I can't tell anyone. It would only make things worse. Mikasa's moving out soon and she's taking me with her though. I'll be away from my dad soon." I smiled cheekily at the excitement on Armin's features. He laughed and hugged me tight. I hugged back.

Just knowing that I won't have to deal with my dad soon was enough to make me smile till my cheeks hurt.

Levi~

I laid back on my bed and stared at the ceiling as if answers were just going to pop up out of no where. Who do I even start with? How do I get them to remember in the first place? I can't just up and tell them. They'd think I was absolutely insane. How else was I supposed to make them remember? The only way I remembered was because of dreams I had for years before I realized. How was this supposed to help me in any way? With a sigh, I went through my contacts. Hanji was the first person I decided to attempt. Maybe she would understand. I texted her and asked if she was busy.

"Too busy for Levi? Never! I'll be over soon." She answered almost instantly. I knew by soon, she meant literally like five minutes. Surely, there was a knock on my door and then in came Hanji. She smiled and plopped down on my bed.

"What makes you think you can just walk into other people's houses, four eyes?" I scoffed and looked back up to the ceiling.

"Your mother let me in." She smiled triumphantly. I rolled my eyes and waited for the right moment. "What's on your mind, Ravioli?" Realization smacked me in the face as I now realized why she called me Ravioli. It wasn't quite Ravaille, but more of an adaptation of it.

"Why do you call me Ravioli?" I sat up against the headboard of my bed and stared at the girl with the messy ponytail and black square frames around her eyes. He face turned to one of thinking as she pulled her legs up into a bow shape.

"I'm not sure. It just... Fits you, somehow." She shrugged and pushed her glasses farther up her nose.

"What about, Ravaille?" I told her, my eyebrows furrowing. She seemed confused for a minute.

"I don't think..." She stopped talking. Suddenly her eyes widened and she looked as though I just held the world in my hands. She stayed silent for a long time before muttering something. "Levi..."

"Hanji?" I asked, wondering if maybe I did it. She sat up straighter and gripped my shoulders.

"Titans?" She said. I smiled.

"Yes, Hanji. Titans. And the Survey Corp, the Military Police, and the Garrison. Do you remember?" I asked with the tilt of my head.

She nodded and took her glasses off and set them to the side. "I remember everything." Hanji's voice cracked. I left her alone and went downstairs to get her a glass of water, knowing she was certainly going to need it. When I went back into my room and gave her the water, she nodded thankfully.

"Alright. Well, I should probably explain everything." I sat down across from her. With a great sigh, I began from the beginning. I explained everything. The dreams, Eren, his mom and his dad. He probably will be angry because I told her, but I felt it was necessary. Erwin and all. The plan of the organization Colossal. Afterwards, she looked so overwhelmed. I would be too. Hanji stayed silent as the cogs turned in her head. "Will you help?" I asked the question as she nervously folded her hands. She looked up at me, determination in her eyes.

"Of course. I don't want the titans to come back as much as everyone else. Great, okay. What do we have to do?" Hanji put back her shoulders and puffed her chest. As much as I joked, I could always count on Hanji.

After I walked Hanji out of the house, I explained I would be in contact. Jesus, I sounded like Erwin. With a groan, I closed the door.

"Levi." My mom called from the living room. I walked in to see her sitting on the couch. She turned the television off, which struck me as odd. That meant we were going to have a serious conversation.

"What's up?" I asked, stepping closer. She patted the couch next to her. With a little sigh, I dropped down onto the seat. She folded her hands into her lap, took her glasses off of her face and put them on her head. Mom angled her body slightly towards me.

"While you were in the hospital, we visited you often. Eren came with us nine times out of ten. Every time we saw him, he seemed... Tired. Sad, even. At first, I put it off as just you being hurt. But then, I started to notice... bruises, cuts. Dark bags under his eyes. He got thinner and thinner every time I saw him. Maybe he was just plain depressed about you, but that didn't explain the contusions. I know how you really care about Eren, and I do too. He's a wonderful kid and I'm concerned. So, I'm saying if you know anything about it, now would be a wise time to tell me." My mom put her hand on my shoulder. Immediately, I was going to dismiss it and tell her I had no idea. The caring look on her face and worry in her eyes told me she truly cared about Eren. I couldn't tell her. She would want to do something. Don't get me wrong, I want to do something too. But Eren would be so angry with me if I told her. He would blame me. Who knows, maybe Eren has the wrong idea about child services. But what if he didn't?

I groaned and put my hands over my face, rubbing my eyes. What the fuck was I supposed to do?

"Levi...?" My mom said, carefully.

"Fine. Fine, okay. I'll tell you. Eren's dad drinks. A lot. Literally, he's never sober. At the same time, he blames Eren for the death of his mother. He..." I stopped, trying to find the right words. "He hits Eren. All the time. There are bruises all over his body. Eren protects his sister, Mikasa, from his father." I stopped and ran my hands through my hair and pulled at the roots. "One time, I walked into his house after I dropped him off because he left his phone in my car. Mom, I walked in and Eren was cowering in a corner with pieces of glass in his back from a bottle of Jack fucking Daniels. I hate his father so much. He's been dealing with that kind of abuse since he was ten." My voice wavered a long time ago as actual tears stung the backs of my eyes. I looked over at my mom. Tears built up in her eyes and I realized she really did care for Eren like a son. She hugged me and I leaned into her. "He's moving out with Mikasa soon, though. He told me yesterday. Please, please don't tell anyone. He would be so mad at me." She pulled back.

"As long as something is being done about it, I won't tell."

I didn't realize the weight on my shoulders would have been lifted a long time ago just by telling someone.

Eren~

I was alone and on my way home from an extra shift at the cafe when there was a small meow that caught my attention. A cat as white as snow sauntered past my feet and past the corner. I smiled and followed it. When I went around the corner, a girl stood with a hood over her head. Pieces of blond hair strayed out of it. He blue eyes stared at me intently. In her arms was the cat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I saw your cat and I... wanted to follow it." I smiled guiltily.

"It's okay." She said as she pet the cat. It purred contently in her arms and nuzzled the palm of her hand. I nodded and turned around to continue walking home. When I turned around there was a man standing there. He had shortly buzzed, black hair. Freckles dotted his cheeks and he had big, frightened brown eyes. He would have crossed me as a kind guy, but the gun in his hands told me a different story. Considering, it was pointed at me. I stepped back and looked at the girl behind me. She put the cat down which was now rubbing against my leg. The item in her hand was replaced by a similar looking gun.

"What the hell is going on?" I croaked looking between the two.

"I'm sorry, Eren..." The guy's voice cracked and it sounded like he was about to start sobbing. How does he know my name? I looked back at the girl, her hand tightening around the handle of the pistol.

"Shut up, Marco." She growled. She looked so familiar. An image of running into her with Levi more than a month ago came to mind. Then, she ordered a coffee from me at the cafe the same day Levi got out of the hospital. Now, she stood here on an empty street at ten o'clock at night with a gun pointed at me. It seemed like too much of a coincidence.

"You've been following me." I said in realization to the girl, whose name I now remembered as Annie. She scoffed.

"Good deduction." She mumbled. A silky, black car pulled up to the side with tinted windows. The guy, Marco, turned and opened the back door. Annie nodded her head to the car. "Get in." Her gun clicked when I hesitated.

"Please Eren." Marco begged. "I don't want to hurt you." He really sounded like he didn't want to. Annie stepped closer to me and put the gun on me. I stepped back, not liking the heavy feel of the cool metal against my chest. A gentle hand lowered on my shoulder as Marco pulled me towards the car. As I was put into the backseat, Marco and Annie followed suit. My whole body shook with jittery and rattled nerves. Mikasa will notice when I don't return home from work. Levi will notice when I didn't return his texts and calls. Armin will notice when I don't show up at his house for our video game day on Saturday. My dad will notice, but it's not like he'll care. My leg began to bounce up and down as I worried my bottom lip between my teeth.

Why did they take me? What use could I possibly have to them? They obviously want something from me or they would have just killed me on the street. I wanted to pull my hair and curl into a ball while screaming in frustration. My breathes became labored and uneven. A hand pressed against my arm. I looked over at Marco's guilty face. He smiled sadly. I looked away and focused on the window. It wasn't very smart to put me next to the door. I could easily open it and tuck and roll onto the street. Although, there's a very big chance I would die. I guess they assumed I wasn't dumb enough to jump out of a car easily going sixty miles an hour.

"Don't even think about it." A cold female voice said. I looked over at Annie. She wasn't even looking at me. She was watching the outside as the car sped down the road, also seeming completely unfazed.

I didn't know why they wanted me, but I knew whatever it was, it wasn't good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know ive said it before, but thank you all so much for the hits and comments.  
> Uprising has reached over a thousand hits and im so fricking happy.  
> this chapter is a little bit longer than most. I wasnt going to put in the lil bit of Levi and his mom, but i then i realized i needed to do it sooner or later so this chapter seemed like the best one to do it in.  
> thank you lil muffins♥


	11. Trickery And Deceit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. So sorry I took a little longer to upload. I lost more then half of a lot I wrote so I had to rewrite it like three times. Seriously. And then I went on vacation for a week with some friends and family. I tried writing but I got distracted and went to the beach instead. So, here you go! Part 11 uploaded!

Uprising

Chapter 11: Trickery And Deceit

Eren  
~  
I stared at Annie who was leaning her head against the window. She still hadn't moved and I chose to ignore her comment about me trying to jump out of the speeding car.

"You know..." I started out carefully, my voice sounding weak and unsure. "People will look for me."

Annie sighed with disinterest and Marco pursed his lips. "Of course they will. You are a missing teenager after all. But in a big city like this? It's a very low chance they'll find you." Annie said while lifting her head to look at me. I noted the bore in her eyes as she stared at me, daring to reply. The fact that her answer made sense made me even more concerned.

"What do you want from me?" I hissed. "I don't have money, if that's what your after. A ransom won't do any good." I told them, narrowing my eyes. Annie cracked half of a smile.

"It's an interesting thought, but no, that's not what we want. Only you have what we need. Although, you don't know it." Annie dropped her head back on the window, signaling she was done speaking the matter. I sighed as the car drove for a few more minutes. Suddenly, my vision went dark as something was placed over my head. My breath crowded inside whatever was obscuring my vision and it smelled like wood. The way it felt when it grazed over my cheek made my whole face feel itchy. I could only recognize the fabric as burlap. How cliche of them...

"Come on, Eren." Marco mumbled, tugging on my arm. Assuming the car stopped, they were trying to pull me out. We had made it wherever they wanted to take me to. Someone bound my arms behind my back in a rope tied tight enough that even the slightest move burned my skin and made a hiss escape between my teeth.

"I'd advise you not to move too much." Annie whispered near my ear while we walked, her voice sounding distorted through the burlap sack over my head and a hand with a vice-like grip on my upper arm. Immediately, I realized she was right, so I gave up attempting to loosen the binds. We stopped for a moment and I heard multiple beeping sounds and then a buzzer. The sound of a door being pulled open sounded as squeaks emanated from the hinges. The grip on my arm returned and I was forced forward again. The temperature of the air and terrain changed below my beat up Converse. The floor was now smooth compared to the uneven and rough ground before. Cold air conditioning felt heavenly on my heated and sweat slicked skin. Bright lighting peeked through the sack over my face as we made a bunch of twists and turns. Soon, I pushed into a room with carpeting. Roughly, I was thrown down onto the floor, making the ropes on my wrists rub uncomfortably. I groaned a bit at the friction the bounds created on my irritated skin. There was a small, shocked gasp behind me

"Annie." Marco hissed. I could practically hear her eye roll.

"Being pushed onto the ground is the least of his worries." Annie replied. Foot steps got closer to me and suddenly the item over my head was ripped off. The lighting hit my pupils suddenly, making me close my eyes in pain. Slowly, I forced my eyes to adapt and take note of my surroundings. I sat up with my legs bent under me. The wooden walls gave a calming feel. The desk planted in the middle made me think this was an office of sorts. Trinkets lines the edge of the desk and the back of a frame stood next to a lamp. A fireplace was against the side wall with a flickering fire burning inside. Filing cabinets were on the wall across from that one. Exactly two chairs were placed in front of the desk with some space between them. A bohemian patterned rug was large enough to span from a foot before the door and went all the way to the wall. I was seated right between the chairs.

I turned my head over my shoulder to see Marco and Annie leaning against the wall next to the door. Marco gave me a small smile. Annie examined her nails indifferently.

"Well? You have me, so what do you want?" No one made a move to answer. Marco moved his eyes to the floor, clamping his jaw shut. Annie's position didn't change. "Are you going to fucking answer me?" The fright in my stomach turned to warm anger. Annie's mouth opened, surprisingly.

"You're getting too confident, Eren. That's not good. Around here, if you want them to go easy on you, keep your damn mouth shut." Annie snapped. I ground my teeth together in annoyance and looked down at my lap. What was Mikasa doing? Did she notice I didn't come home on time? Did she call Levi? I was assuming that's the first thing she'd do. Then maybe Armin. I knew one thing. I was at least going to be here the rest of the night. Possibly longer. The police couldn't get involved until I've been gone 48 hours. This was insane.

"I don't know what you want. There's nothing I can give you. I'm a seventeen year old who works at a coffee shop." I muttered in defeat.

"We'll see." Annie replied in the same emotionless voice. Understanding talking to them would get me no where, I stopped trying. The door behind me opened and shut. My sight kept on the hem of my jeans while someone came forwards and walked around behind the desk and sat in the leather office chair. I wanted to look up, but I didn't at the same time. Instead I looked behind me to Marco and Annie. Their position changed completely. Now, they stood in some kind of solute. One arm bent behind their backs and the other bent in front, hands fisted over their hearts. Backs erect, shoulders back, chests puffed.

"At ease." The man who had entered said. They relaxed and returned to the way they were leaning on the wall. The man's voice sounded vaguely familiar. And by vaguely, I mean so familiar it drove me insane not being able to place the voice with a name or face. "Eren, look at me." The voice said with a kind of warmness I hadn't experienced in a while. Slowly, I turned my head and looked up. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach and my mouth went dry. Eyes wide, my hands began to shake profusely.

"Dad?" I whispered, completely in shock. He was sober and dressed smartly in a black suit with a grey tie. His hair was pulled into a ponytail in the back. I couldn't begin to understand what the hell was going on.

"Hello, my boy." He meant it seriously. There wasn't disgust in his eyes. There was regret and fondness. I almost wanted to jump up and hug him. Almost. No matter the sobriety, he was still the one who abused me for seven years. Add kidnapping to that list.

"What the fuck is going on?" My voice was strong, but also wavered. My dad folded his hands atop his desk and thought for a minute. "Why aren't you drunk as shit? Why do you look like you haven't had a single drop of alcohol?" I narrowed my eyes, obviously livid.

"You have every right to be angry with me, Eren. I was a horrible father. I deserve every dirty look and insult you throw at me. Just remember it won't get you anywhere." He said, leaning back into his chair, oozing power.

"You're a sick son of a bitch, you know that?" I growled, my eyes stinging with tears.

"And you're with Levi too much." He said, standing up and pacing behind me.

"How do you-"

"Know about him?" My father cut me off, only to finish my question. "That's not important. Anyways, we have something other than your romantic life to talk about." I blinked at him as he came back to stand behind his desk. "You may not understand yet, but you're very important to us. All of Colossal will rise to power because of you. Or, your DNA, more or less." He sat down again and looked at me. "Have you ever heard of titans, Eren?"

"I-What? The mythological creature?" Where was he going with this?

"Yes, except they aren't mythological. They were very much real at one point." I looked back at Annie and Marco to see if they were believing any of this bullshit. Neither seemed surprised. Neither met my eyes. "They once roamed more than 90% of the Earth. They killed humans, ate them. Humanity lived behind walls and dedicated their lives to killing off all of the titans. It was an all out war with titans winning for many years. Eventually, humans won out against them. For more than a thousand years, a group has been attempting to bring the titans back. That's us, Colossal."

My dad was even crazier sober.

"And you sure you aren't even a little drunk? Not even drugs or anything?" I asked him with a straight face. His face darkened.

"No."

"Okay, I'll bite. Why would you want to bring back the titans in the first place, even if they were real? If they're so dangerous, that would be bad." A humorless chuckle escaped from my father.

"Colossal will control them and we will rule the world." His expression didn't changed.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, how cliche. 'Ruling the world'? Really?" My father's eyes traveled to something behind me. Suddenly, there was pressure on the ropes around my wrists. I stopped my laughter with a hiss of pain. Blood ran into my hands as Annie ground her shoe into the knotted ropes. She bent and whispered into my ear.

"This is what I was talking about." She stopped and leaned back against the wall. Heavy breaths heaved my chest as my wrists burned horribly.

"And we are going to bring them back with your DNA. See, your DNA is mixed with titans. Once the titan part of you awakens, we can test and distribute your DNA into other people, creating more titans. It'll be the most dangerous weapon ever created." There was sickeningly sweet smile on his face as he watched the blood drain from mine. Sure, it sounded crazy, but for some reason, I was still terrified.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist and then to Marco.

"Marco, would you be so kind as to take Eren to his room." Marco pushed off the wall and pulled me to my feet, more gently than Annie would have. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

Marco walked me out of the room. The hallways looked almost like a hospital. The walls were white while the floors were linolium white as well. The lights were much brighter outside of my father's office. As we walked, neither of us spoke. I've been wanting to speak to Marco alone. He seems like a nice guy, so how did he get into this kind of business?

"Marco?" I said, looking at him with the most innocent eyes I could pull off. He looked at me with soft features and a pitiful smile.

"What is it, Eren?" He replied as we turned down a hall way.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. His face turned sad as he looked away. "You seem like such a kind guy. Almost like someone who'd never hurt someone else. So why?"

"They... They threatened that if I didn't help them they'd hurt someone I love." He whispered so low I almost didn't hear him. At least now I had an idea of how far this group would go to get what they desire.

"I'm sorry..." I muttered. Marco glanced at me and opened his mouth. It seemed like he want to say something but he couldn't get it out.

"His name is Jean." He replied. My eyebrows rose. Jean? Was it the same Jean I know? Horse face?

"Jean Kirstein?" I asked with surprise in my voice. Marco sighed and nodded. I would never have guessed Jean would have a male admirer. Somehow, I wanted to ask more, but I didn't out of fear of getting too personal with Marco.

"What about you?" Marco asked as he lead me down hallways with twist and turns alike. Did they make all the hallways look exactly the same on purpose? If I even tried to escape, I could easily be caught before I figured my way through this maze. I would certainly get lost.

"What about me?" I replied, not understanding what he was asking.

"You have someone, don't you?" He said with a knowing smile. We made it to a set of doors that said "stairway" painted in black spray paint across. My face heated slightly at his question. Levi would be furious to no end if I never made it out of here. How long would it be before he noticed I was gone? Or, am I completely wrong on this as to how he would feel? Would he even care if I was missing? I may be dumb asking that, but it was hard to understand how Levi felt about me. He liked me, I know that. But how much is the question.

"I guess." I shrugged. Marco smiled at me as we continued down the stairs. "Levi." I said, trying not to miss a step. You'd be surprised how much harder it is to walk down stairs when you don't have use of your arms because they are forcefully tied behind your back. Marco grabbed my arm as I wobbled half way down the stairs, causing the binds to dig tighter into my skin. My jaw clenched at the familiar pain.

"How long?" He asked, referring to how long Levi and I had been together. I wasn't sure, to be honest. The month Levi was in the hospital went by so slow it was hard to determine.

"Over a month, I think." I sighed and continued down the seemingly never ending stairs. That wasn't the case, of course. Eventually we reached the floor and went through a doorway.

"That's good." Marco mumbled. I bit at my cheek nervously, tasting blood. We went down a long hallway that ended at a cast iron door. It had a padlock of numbers outside. There was a decent sized window in the wall next to the door. When looked through, what seemed to be a place of sleeping. I gulped as Marco positioned himself in front of the padlock so I couldn't see the pass code. What good would knowing the code be anyways? The padlock is outside the door. I rolled my eyes. The door slid open and Marco began moving me into the room. Door sliding shut, he motioned for me to turn around. Untying the ropes becoming part of my wrists, he sucked air through his teeth disapprovingly. The open rope burns stung horribly. I turned around while gently touching my wrists to receive a pitiful look from Marco.

"Okay. This is your 'room', I guess..." He crossed his arms and avoided my eyes. I turned my head away from him to examine my new environment. The walls were white. Just plain white and the floor was metallic steal. Looking down, I could see a distorted version of my reflection. There was a bed off in the corner. Well, it was supposed to be a bed. If you broke it down more, it was more or less a frame with a roll out mattress and a pillow as thin as a quarter and a blanket as small as a napkin. Not literally, but it was pretty small. A door I assumed was a bathroom was in the opposite side. Aside from a desk next to the bed, there was nothing more in this room.

"Homey..." I muttered as I curled a bit into myself. Marco grunted and turned around to leave.

"There are some clothes in the bathroom you need to change into. Do that and then go to bed. Trust me, you'll need the rest tomorrow." He said before he slid the door open. A few seconds after it shut behind him, there was three consecutive beeps and then Marco left. Hopefully there was a sink in the bathroom for me to clean my wrists with.

My situation still hadn't fully set into my head.  
~  
Levi

"Ready?" I whispered to Eren while we stood in the center of town. Erwin and Mike were walking by. They'd stopped in time to notice Eren and I together. Things were going just as planned. Eren shoved me. I stumbled as hurt welled in my chest, then I remembered that we were starting. Putting on a facade of anger I shoved Eren back. I was hesitant to hit him, but his resilient features told me to go ahead. To give him my best. I brought my knee up hard into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He fell on the ground and writhed for air. My fingers twisted into his collar and tugged him up. I punched him in the face three times before roundhouse kicking him into the edge of the fountain. I gulped and almost ran after to see if I went too hard on him. Almost. Eren was strong and could take it. He was fearless. Seeing that Erwin saw the whole dispute, along with a few onlookers of the town, I turned back to the lump of Eren breathing heavily.

"Learn your place." I yelled loud enough so I knew Erwin heard it before walking past the Commander, muttering to lock him in the basement. There was no argument.

After I was informed of Eren being locked up, I went down to visit him.

"Eren?" I hissed into the basement. There was the rustle of chain against chain just a little ways from me. Quietly, I stepped into the room and shut the door silently. My boots clicked against the floor as I rushed back to Eren's cell. My heart began to ache at the sight of Eren's state. He sat on his knees with chains connecting his wrists to the wall. His head lolled to the side as he breathed heavily. His dark hair covered part of his turquoise eyes. I wanted to run my fingers through it to push it back. Blood stained his clothes and pooled down his chin to drip on his knee. I swallowed and opened my dry mouth. "I'm sorry." My hands reached to grip tightly on the bars separating us. I saw a flash of white teeth as a chuckle echoed off the cell walls. My mouth twitched into a deeper frown. "Do you hate me?" I asked, afraid his answer would be yes.

Eren's head swung forward and tilted up so I could see his beaten and bloodied face. I visibly flinched at my handiwork. I could have gone easy on him, and I tried to without it seeming obvious. "No." He laughed. "I could never hate you." Eren said with a smile. I chewed on my bottom lip and glanced at the door. I turned back around and grabbed a pair of key's that hung on the wall next to others. Opening the cell door I walked in slowly and pulled a chair near Eren. I sat down on the chair and simply watched him. He watched me as well.

"Erwin bought it. He thinks we don't like each other anymore." Eren nodded.

"Good, or I just got my face beaten in for no reason." He laughed humorlessly and I tilted my head down.

"We'll be storming Wall Maria soon..." Eren hummed a response. There was a long pause. "Hey, kid. Don't die, okay?"

Eren scoffed openly. "I won't if you won't." I smirked at his words.

"Right."

I crawled out of my memory from the past to hear an incessant ringtone. I groaned lowly and rubbed my eyes. Without even glancing at the caller ID, I answered.

"Whoever you are, you better have a damn good reason to wake me up." My voice dipped octaves lower, sounding dangerous and threatening.

"Levi, it's me. Mikasa." She sounded somewhat miffed. Why would she be calling me at such a late hour?

"Mikasa? What happened?" I plucked my glasses onto my face and sat up. Did something happen to Eren? Is he okay?

"Eren was supposed to be working an extra shift that ended at ten and he hasn't come home. It's midnight." I looked over to the clock and noted that it was midnight.

"That's not like him..." I mumbled. Eren wouldn't do that. He'd come home.

"He's not with you, then?" She asked, her voice portraying worry.

"No...He's not." I said very quietly. Defeated. I knew exactly what happened to him. I know who took him. I don't know where he is. But I will find him and I will bring him home.

I can't sit by anymore. I can't wait for the next move; I'll create the next move. Colossal is getting sent straight to hell before they lay a finger on Eren. That was a promise, and I keep my damn promises.


	12. Marco's Resolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm sosososo sorry for not updating in a while! It's kinda hard to finish a chapter when my laptop broke. :/
> 
> But it's fixed now so yay! I'm not exactly sure, but I estimate maybe two or three more chapters. I know, I don't want it to end either. :( I'm having so much fun writing this, and I'm getting a lot of positive feedback about it, which is good for both of us. :)
> 
> Keep reading! ^^

Uprising

Chapter 12: Marco's Resolve

Eren

The bathroom door shut loudly behind me, making me jump. The bathroom had a toilet, sink with a mirror above it, and a shower. At least they give you the basics. As Marco had explained, there was an outfit neatly folded on the toilet seat, a towel with a bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap. I decided to shower before going to bed. The water in this place was either volcanic lava hot or the deepest places of the Arctic Ocean cold. There was hardly any in between. Upon deciding I didn't want to melt my nipples off, cold was my favored temperature. After cleaning my wrists as much as I could, my body and hair, I hopped out of the shower with risen goosebumps all over and my teeth chattering. There was even a slight tinge of blue on my lips when I looked in the mirror. The shirt they gave me was a white, formfitting tee-shirt. It showed what little muscle I had along my upper arms and chest. Not so much my stomach. I wasn't exactly ripped, you know. The pants were also white. They were cotton pajama-like pants with drawstrings. They fit perfectly, which I guess wasn't a surprise. If my father really was the head of this organization, the least he could do was remember what size I was.

When I left the bathroom with dripping hair, I laid down on the bed I realized was possibly the least comfortable thing I had ever sat on. And I thought my bed back home was bad. Despite myself, I pulled the thin blanket over my shivering body. My eyes skimmed the ceiling over and over. It was hard to tell, but I felt like I was awake in that deathtrap of a bed for hours. How was I supposed to sleep knowing I was being held for some crazy corporation. What were they going to do to me? Was I going to be some experiment? The severity of the situation finally crashed into me. My chest began to seize with anxiety and pain as I tried to eagerly breathe air into my lungs. Tears stung my eyes and dripped down the side of my face and wet my pillow slightly. I curled on my side and brought my knees up to my chest. As I did, an image of Levi came into my head. He looked older and wiser. Stronger, even. My eyes stayed shut as the image played out in front of me. His knee slammed into my stomach, making me fall to the ground and cough. My legs flinched while seeing so. Why was I imagining this? He proceeded to punch me and kick me into the side of a fountain. Levi would never hit me like this. Why did I see this in my head? He'd, mostly, been nothing but nice to me. I didn't like it. My moist eyes flicked open to the darkness in my room besides the light coming from the window next to the door. I sighed loudly into the silence, hoping for someone to get me out of this place.

Marco came and woke me up next morning. I shooed him away and called him Mikasa. Then I remembered that I was actually not home. I sat up straight away and jumped from the bed. Marco smiled at me and nodded.

"Good morning, Eren." He said, holding something behind his back. Wiping the sleep from my tired eyes, I yawned and noticed the smiled Marco gave me never faltered.

"What time is it?" I asked, hoping it was at least after nine.

"Six thirty." He nodded. I groaned and fell back against a wall. "You get used to it. Come on, we have to go." He urged. My eyes cracked open to see more rope in his hand. I sighed, wanting to be defiant and difficult. But I wasn't. I let Marco tie my wrists together and walk us out the door. Instead of going to my father's office again, I was taken to a room that had some pretty science-y looking things. And other people.

My father stood in a nice suit with his hair pulled back, much like yesterday. He stood proud and sober. Looking away, all I could still see him as was the abusive ass he is. My father sent an appreciative nod to Marco as I was set in place next to my father. Him being so close made my skin crawl. Actually looking up, I noticed there were other kids dressed as I was. My teeth nipped at the skin inside my cheek nervously. Who are they?

"Everyone, please meet the new addition to Colossal. His hand patted my back. More than noticeably, I flinched at the contact. I stepped a little farther away from him, earning me a glare from my father. "He is also my son." Looking up, five kids who couldn't be any older than high schoolers, gaped at me. Ashamed of my family, I glanced at my bare feet. The bruises I'd honestly forgot about showed on my arms and hands. Strong hands grabbed my shoulders and turned me sideways to face him.

"Today, you will be tested to see if your body can handle the transformation to a titan. All of you." He looked at the kids and then back at me. "Do me proud, son." He said with a small smile. I glared.

"I hate you." I told him through clenched teeth. His smiled slipped and his face showed how miffed I had made him.

"You'll come around one day. I know it." He replied with another easygoing smile.

"To me, you'll always be the shitty father who chucked a Jack Daniel's bottle at me." At that, rage encompassed his face. His hand came up and I saw it coming for the snappy comeback I gave him. He slapped me hard in the face, my skin setting on fire. The sound of skin on skin echoed in the room. It was completely silent. He'd just slapped me in front of everyone without remorse.

"Learn your place." He told me. The words stuck to my brain and rattled my psyche. Why did I feel like someone told me that before? Marco untied the binds on my wrists and cast me a horribly sad look. He and my father walked out without saying anything more.

A woman stood in front of us. She was thin and pretty with black hair in pigtails on each side of her head. Her eyes were a shining dark grey and she smiled a little.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Doctor Carolina. I'll be one of the scientists in charge of the project. Today, we are going to test your endurance. You will be undergoing multiple tests decided whether you would make it as a titan. Some are least favorable than others. Endurance is your ability to control how you use your energy and how much you have." She looked at all of us. "Before though, I just want you to know that you will all be together for a while so please do try to get a long. So, why don't we have everyone introduce themselves." No one spoke so she pointed to a girl who was tall, skinny, dark-skinned and angry.

She sighed. "My name is Ymir." She said simply. Her features were small and elongated. Freckles dotted her cheeks and her dark hair was contained in a short ponytail in the back. Ymir also looked like she could kick some major ass.

"I'll go next." A small voiced girl said, playing with her thumbs. "I'm Historia." Her hair was long and blond. Her eyes were wide and the brightest blue I'd ever seen. She was beautiful.

There was some hesitation and then a guy with hair much like Jean's but a bit overgrown spoke up. He tried to show bravado and competence. "I am Oluo." I felt like he may have been a slight asshole.

"Sasha." A girl with light brown eyes spoke up with the cross of her arms. Her skin was pale and she also looked like someone who stuck to their guns. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and was dark brown with a tint of red.

"Oh, fine!" A boy with short, blond hair growled out of aggravation. His eye color was similar to Sasha's but he seemed the angriest out of us all. Except maybe me. "I'm Thomas and I don't want to be here." He said. I scoffed out loud. None of us did. They all turned to look at me.

"Got something to say, daddy's boy?" Oluo said with a harsh glare. Were they going to treat me shitty because my dad is running this program?

I shrugged. "Nothing really. Just that I'm pretty sure none of us want to be here." Thomas looked at me up and down.

"So, what about you? You have a name, right?" They all waited.

"Eren." I replied. Oluo scoffed.

"That was a pretty hard slap from your dad, kid. You didn't even flinch." My eyes flicked between them all and the scientist who looked like she wanted to step in, but decided against it. I guess she wanted us to talk to each other.

"I've had worse." I replied, putting my hands on my hips.

"He's done...worse?" The petite blond girl said with wide and saddened eyes. Historia, I think. I looked at her and smirked a little.

"My father is a piece of shit." I said simply with the shrug of my shoulders. I didn't think I could ever actually hate my dad. He's done so much to me. He's taken away my childhood. Historia's eyes went down my arms and hands, stopping at the burns from the ropes.

I looked at the burns and hid them a little behind my legs.

"Okay, Okay. How about we all just calm down, alright?" Dr. Carolina jumped in, waving her hands in surrender. No one spoke another word as we were led to the far side of the room. There were exactly six treadmills. The Doctor turned to face all of us, who tried to decipher what she wanted us to do exactly. "I'm going to give you all exercise clothes to wear. You'll all be tested on how long you can run on the treadmills here." She waved her hand towards them. I rolled my eyes and tried to look about their expressions. most of them where unreadable.

The boys were given white basketball shorts, a pair of sneakers, and a white tee-shirt. The girls were given a pair of white shorts with light blue tee shirts and a similar pair of sneakers. We all stepped onto the treadmills. Before we started, the assistants stuck heart monitor patches on our chests. Once we began running, I didn't want to stop. It felt like we ran on it for hours. At one point, Historia begged to stop, that she was growing too tired. They helped her off the machine. I could keep going. Oluo was next, then Thomas. Sasha was out after four hours, she wobbled on the slowed down machine. Now it was only down to Ymir and I. I kept running. Sweat slicked my forehead as my breath finally began to speed up. Ymir was close to collapsing, so she quit after Sasha. I kept going. I've had to have gone for at least seven hours. I should be sprawled out on the floor after ten minutes. I'd never been good at physical activity what so ever. It had always been something I wanted to avoid. After my legs and I began to feel like separate beings, I decided to stop. Everyone was in shock. Seven straight hours I ran on that damned machine.

How was that possible?

"Eren are you even sweating?" Thomas asked, bewildered. I swung my hand across my forehead to rid the sweat.

"From what I can tell, yes." I replied. Historia stuck her hand out beside me. My eyes slid her way as a bottle of water was being held in her slim clutches. Nodding my thanks, I reached for the water. She ripped her hand back as if I just burned her. My eyebrows dipped.

"What?"

"You feel like a space heater..." She mumbled as she tucked her hand under her opposing arm.

"Um...Thanks?" I said in confusion. Suddenly, Dr. Carolina marched over and pressed her hand on my forehead. She instantly took it away.

"You're burning up!" She exclaimed. The Doctor escaped to a desk and pulled out what looked like a thermometer. She wedged it into my mouth, under my tongue. Everyone waited in silence as the thermometer tested my temperature. Finally, it beeped. She tugged it out and gaped at the numbers. "110 degrees! Eren, the highest temperature anyone can survive without their brain cells burning up is 108. How do you feel?" She asked, her hands twisting around each other nervously.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine, tired though." I took a long gulp from my bottle of water. She began to chew on the side of her thumb.

"I mean, if you feel fine..." Dr. Carolina muttered to herself. Suddenly, her face brightened up considerably. "Eren, I'm going to try something with you." She said with eye's blazing. She shuffled into the backroom while my anxious eyes followed her. What was she doing? Whispers began overlapping with the group of kids. I stared at them, instantly furious.

"What the fuck are you guys talking about." I demanded, loud enough for them all to hear. The whispering stopped. Oluo looked my way with a sneer.

"About how weird you are." He said without missing a beat. My hand tightened around the bottle of water, to the point it crushed. It exploded, water spraying everywhere. They sporadically flinched when drops of water splashed on their faces. With wide eyes, I dropped the bottle on the floor. Most of them gave me death glares, aside from Historia who was still standing behind me. I flinched, but she put a gentle hand on my shoulder head slowly swiveled her way as I took in her calm face. I sighed and ignored the others.

Dr. Carolina came barging back in with a dagger in her hand. Upon seeing it, I backed up with wide eyes.

"What're you-" I exclaimed as she came closer with the silver knife. She grabbed my hand. I cried out in pain as she sliced all the way across my palm. Someone muttered an "oh my god" from the group of kids. "What the hell!"

"Just watch." Dr. Carolina said. Quietly, I groaned at the searing pain on my hand. Blood pooled. Ever so slowly, the pain began to dissipate. Steam rose from the cut and I could not believe my eyes. The blood dispersed into the same steam. In the matter of a few seconds, the open wound became closed. It closed right in front of me. There was a pink scar where a bloody laceration was supposed to be. Historia gasped.

"Oh wow..." He whispered with her hands over her ajar mouth.

Dr. Carolina whooped. "Exactly what I thought was going to happen! You have all the effects!" She was happy about this? Even weirder, she knew that would happen?

"What's wrong with me...?" I muttered, staring down at my hand with a horrified look. What am I? "Th-that's never happened before." I would know damn well if I could do that. Why couldn't that happen when I cut my head open being slammed into a wall? When glass got shoved into my back? "Why hasn't that happened before?"

An image of me being fully encased in steam. There was darkness, and then suddenly sunlight hit my eyes. Then Levi's voice. I couldn't tell what he was saying, but I felt being lifted out of somewhere incredibly hot and humid. Levi's worried face appeared and then I felt something slam into my side. All I could see was darkness with my mind going blank.

Levi

"I swear to God, if they hurt him..." I was about ready to pull my hair out. Eren has been missing for a week and we still had nothing. Captain America wasn't doing much to help, either.

"Levi, we're all stressed." Erwin began. Armin fiddled with his fingers in his lap while Mikasa sat next to him, offering as much comfort as she could. I, however, couldn't sit still. I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was him. His stupid green but sometimes blue eyes. How he couldn't care less about which way his hair decided to swing that day. I missed everything about him and it's only been a fucking week.

I'm so infatuated with him.

"I won't let them bring the titans back, I just won't." Jean muttered. As much as I agreed with him, I was honestly more worried about Eren. All of the people we know remembered now. Somehow, I'd done it. It took a lot of effort and arguments, but it happened.

"We have nowhere to start." Armin mumbled. He missed Eren a lot, maybe even more than me.

"Maybe the police will come up with something...?" Connie tried.

"The police aren't doing shit." Mikasa claimed. I couldn't agree with her more. I'll bet they weren't looking for him. They were probably sitting on their degenerative asses and eating doughnuts by the truck-load.

"We're the only ones who can help him." I told them. How could we when we had no leads? I could tell they were all trying their damnedest to keep it together and maybe figure out something to help. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I glanced at Mikasa, wondering if it could be someone she knew. She only shrugged her shoulders.

I walked over to the door and opened it slowly. A boy around our age with dark, short, straight hair stood with his brown eyes flicking everywhere around him like he was waiting for someone to jump out and kill him. Freckles dotted under his eyes and all over his cheeks. I felt like I knew him somehow.

"Uh, Hi. Levi." He said. My eyebrow cocked.

"Who are you?" I asked, very confused.

"My name is Marco." He replied. Marco sounded slightly familiar. "Marco Bodt."

"Come in, I guess?" I said. It almost looked like I just lifted weights off of his shoulders. As soon as he walked into the living room, voices began speaking.

"Oh, my god. Marco?" Jean. He knew the guy.

"...Jean." Marco said in surprise. I walked in to them staring at each other, Jean in initial shock.

"So, I hardly remember you. You seem to know me, though." I said to the dark-haired boy.

"Oh!" He turned to me and laughed nervously. "I died... back then. Before I could formally meet you, Corporal Levi."

I visibly flinched. That made a bit more sense. "Right, okay. What brings you here? If you don't mind, we're all a bit busy."

"Eren wanted me to find you." My eyes widened and I wanted to hug Marco.

"You've been in contact with Eren?" I almost screamed. Hope bloomed in my chest. He was still alive. "Is he okay? Is he hurt? For fuck's sake, is he a damn titan?"

Marco put his hands up defensively. "Yes, kinda, kinda and kinda. I'm forced to work with the company that has him. They're training him. They're building him so his body can withstand turning into a titan. They're also training other kids to inhabit his DNA so they, too can become titans. If they do it, they are in control." We all listened intently. "Eren's scared. He doesn't understand. The experiments they're performing on him are slowly making him lose hope. He's getting the effects of a titan every day. Regeneration, excessive body temperature, unexplained anger, unnatural strength, steam. Eren thinks he won't be getting out of there... His father is more than happy with the progress."

My breathing shortened. "His father?"

Marco looked up at me with wide eyes. "You didn't know?" I looked around at all of their faces, particularly Mikasa's. She was enraged. "Grisha is Colossal's founder." A shit ton of different emotions wrangled inside me.

"As if I liked that bastard before, now I really wanna kill him." I growled. Anger pushed my vanes. What the fuck is wrong with him? Is Grisha just fucked up in every lifetime?

"Where is he?" Mikasa spoke up, asperity in her voice. "Where is Eren?"

"A building two towns over. It was in old hospital that Grisha bought for Colossal reasons." Marco replied.

"We're getting him out of there." I said.

"That's what Eren was hoping you'd say. At the same time, he doesn't want you to. He wants you to stay away. That place is a lot more dangerous than you'd think." Marco rubbed his eyes. "They play dirty to get what they want."

I sighed. "Well you bet your jimmies I'm not fucking leaving him there."

"Slow down, Levi. We don't even have any firearms. They definitely do." Erwin stood to meet me. "Don't rush in, you could get hurt. Eren needs you and you can't help him if you die before reaching him." If Erwin really thought I was going to openly admit he was right, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

"Okay, so we need firearms. Guns and what not." I thought for a moment.

"Uh, I may be able to help with that." Jean spoke up. He cleared his throat.

Horseface explained, we listened. A plan was born from the smarts of seven reincarnated soldiers.

A plan to save humanity, and Eren, yet again.

History does repeat.


	13. Trypanophobia

Uprising

Chapter 13: Trypanophobia

Levi

Jean "Horse-face" Kirstein was never one of my favorite characters. He'd always had something against Eren and just lived to annoy the shit out of him in every life. They never got along all that well, but when needed, they worked together and made a decent team. As much as I'd held against the long faced bastard, I never felt like hugging him until he opened his basement door. At this moment, his parents were out of town on a business convention. And I never could have felt more hope than when he told us where we would be getting our guns. Who could have guessed the kid had a fucking armory under his house?

We all stumbled down the stairs, some more gracefully than others, and at least 3/4 of our mouths dropped open. Different guns hung all over the walls. Wooden crates held what looked to be ammunition and maybe even some explosives. There were so many guns, I didn't even feel the need to count. All you should know is there were a shit ton. Anything from rifles to handguns alike.

"You know, Jean. I don't think I've told you I loved you until now." Connie was the first to speak. As much as I agreed with him, I'd never admit it.

"My dad was in the army and my family has a long line of weapon makers. Most, if not all, of these were made by my uncle and grandfather. They own a gun shop just outside of Shiganshina." Jean went up to the wall and pulled down a rifle. "None of these are loaded, by the way."

"Well shit." I muttered, taking in all of the items in the room. "Everyone remember their weapon safety training?"

There were a few collective chuckles. Of course not. Even if they did, times have certainly changed which obviously means the weapons have too.

"Some crates are filled with hand grenades, some with ammunition, and some with smoke and or flash grenades." Jean said, setting down the rifle on a work table. With a crowbar, he cracked open a crate and announced that one was all ammo.

A deep laugh came from the man with caterpillar eyebrows. "We actually might have a chance." Erwin wandered around, making a mental note of all of the different kinds of weapons.

"Your parents would kill you if they found out what we were about to do..." Marco told Jean. I still didn't know their connection to one another and I assumed it was more than pals.

"I'm pretty sure all of ours would." I replied, giving him a look that meant "obviously". Looking around the room, there were multiple doleful head bobs and I realized just what we were going through. "But we are the only people who can stop the titans from coming back. There will be repercussions. Some of us might get hurt. Some might even die, although I'm not trying to scare you all, but it's a possibility." I cleared my throat. "Some might even get in trouble with the law, we all might. I understand if any of you have changed your mind now that you all realize how serious this actually is." I waited. "This isn't year 850 anymore. You've all done your part in fighting already. Now you guys live simple and safe lives as teenagers. I will say that we need all the help we can get." Everyone looked around for someone to leave and never look back. No one moved. No one budged.

"Nice speech, but I want to kick some ass." Connie replied. Everyone broke into cheers of agreement. I couldn't help but smirk at their willingness.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." I told them.

There was a knock on the door upstairs and a voice I knew all too well called out from behind it. Hanji had arrived. Erwin opened the door for her and invited her down. She didn't mask her shock at the Kirstein armory.

"Wow! This is great!" Hanji yelled.

"Yeah, okay four eyes. Did you check out the building of the address I gave you?" I asked her while rubbing where a headache began to bloom. I'd grown used to the pain, considering Hanji's loud mouth.

She nodded eagerly, her ponytail flying.

"It's pretty heavily guarded. And it's a very large building. Eren could be anywhere in it." Hanji scratched her head thoughtfully. "It'd be so much easier if I had a map or something to go off of."

I sighed and turned to everyone else. "If anyone has any ideas, speak up." I waited.

"How about this..." Connie began as we all sat in a circle on the floor. "Someone stays in the car outside so we have an immediate get away. Some go after Eren, some of us go after the other kids to get them out, and..." He stopped suddenly becoming the most serious I've ever seen Connie. "I think there's only one way to solve this Colossal business for good. Someone has to kill Grisha Jaeger." Frightened gasps and unhappy mumbles filled my ears.

"I'll do it." Mikasa spoke up quietly. The room fell silent as we all stared at her in amazement.

"Mikasa, you don't have to." I said, knowing Grisha was still her father.

"If I don't, then who will? I'm not weak. I'm stronger than all of you who decided to freak out at the mention of killing someone. We've all killed something one time or another. Whether it's a titan or a human, it doesn't matter. He hurt Eren far too many times. I'm not sitting by anymore. I'll kill him." She spoke, her voice cross and relenting.

"Alright." I nodded. I understood her. If she hadn't offered to do it, I would have. "I'll go to get Eren. Who want's to tag along?" I asked. Armin raised his hand as if he was asking for the bowl of peas at the fucking dinner table. "Armin? Okay, are you sure?"

He nodded, his blond hair moving with him. "I want to see him."

"You and me both..." I muttered under my breath as I scribbled down his name next to mine under the "Retrieve Eren" column. Mikasa's name went under "Kill Grisha".

"I'll assist Mikasa." Jean announced.

"I don't need someone to assist me." Mikasa claimed, glaring harshly at horse-face. I chuckled internally at Eren's nickname for him.

"Actually, that might be a good idea. No one is to go anywhere alone, got it? It's much safer that way." I said whilst writing Jean's name next to Mikasa's.

"Erwin, as much as I'd like to plant you in the car as the getaway, you might have some good skills. You and Hanji find the other kids and get them out safe. Connie, I'm sorry for sticking you with the getaway, but you seem best for the position."

Connie shrugged indifferently.

"Is that okay for everyone?" I asked. No one disagreed.

"How are we going to find Eren, or anything?" Armin asked. We hadn't gotten there, yet.

"Hm..." I mumbled.

"I know where they keep Eren." Marco offered. "It's pretty confusing as far as how to get there, though. The hallways are all completely similar. They're that way so to deter anyone escaping or trespassing. But I know them all pretty well." Marco ran a hand through his dark hair while humming. "Grisha has a map in his office. He hardly uses it. I bet I could take it and he wouldn't even notice."

"Would you be able to do it without getting caught?" Jean asked him with a stoic expression.

Marco laughed and shrugged. "Maybe?" He said, not sounding so sure.

"No way. If you get caught, they'd hurt you." Jean said with a resilient voice.

"Jean-" I began, but the little horse shit cut me off.

"No, Levi. I've been pretty compliant with how things have gone so far. Marco even being here could get him into some deep shit. I won't let him risk himself like that." Jean said, anger finding it's way into his being. He's always been an angry asshole. "There has to be another way."

I thought for a moment. Could there be?

"How good is your memory, Marco?" Erwin asked. Where was he going with this?

"Pretty good, I suppose." He said with a confused tilt of the head. Erwin crossed his arms while leaning against a wall.

"How much longer do you think we have before Colossal reaches their goal?" Captain America asked.

"Where the hell is this going, Erwin?" I asked. He held a hand up, silencing me. God, he was lucky I didn't bite that goddamn hand off.

"Um, maybe a week or so." My eyes widened at how little time we had. Eren had to be found soon. We didn't have time for these fucking games.

"Can you make a map from memory? In a week?" Erwin asked Marco. The kid's gold eyes blinked, his face the essence of surprise.

"I don't know. It'd be hard. I don't think I'd be able to do the whole building in a week. That'd take too much time." Marco answered truthfully.

"Take Levi and Armin to Eren, then make a map to where they keep the other kids for Hanji and I to follow." Erwin said with a nod.

"That could work!" Hanji cheered.

"Can you do it?" I asked seriously. Marco looked at all of our hopeful glances and sighed.

"Yeah. I'll do it." Mass mutters of agreement flowed throughout the room. Who knew Erwin would actually be a help...

"How will Mikasa and I know where to find Grisha?" Jean asked, his stupid horse head turning to me.

"He's usually in his office. It's on the first floor and near where you guys will come in the building. It's the only wooden door in the whole place." Marco said. "You should be able to find it easy."

"So, once the map is done, let me know." I gave him my cell number and told him to text me. Marco left soon after, claiming he should get started and head back to Colossal so no one would become suspicious.

The rest of us searched the entire basement and all it's contents. We took inventory of all artillery we had. It took a while and a lot of energy. Eventually, probably around nine PM, we had decided it was time to give up for tonight.

I walked home alone, the silence of night keeping me company. The moon high in the sky created an ominous glow as I flinched at every rustle of leaves, crack of a twig, and faint sounds of an animal. An owl, maybe. Something about this night made me on edge. My heart beat accelerated, not giving off a clear spot in my body. It felt like my whole being was thumping to my heart. Blood rushed in my ears, creating an annoyance. I picked my feet up faster and bolted my paranoid ass home. When I opened the door, my parents were on the couch. They looked up as I came in, their faces softening.

"Hello, dear." My mom greeted with her head on my dad's shoulder.

"Hi." I said, begging for my breathing to even out.

"How are you doing?" My dad asked, his eyebrows furrowed. I shrugged, not really wanting to answer. I went into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water.

"Have you heard anything about Eren?" Mom finally asked in a careful tone. I shook my head as I entered the room again while shakily drinking my water. My father and mother looked at each other as if communicating silently.

"I'm going to bed." I announced while heading for the stairs, not waiting for them to say anything else. As soon as my door was shut, I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt. Soon enough, there was an unsure knock on my door. "Come in." I called.

"Hun?" My mother's sweet voice said through a crack in the door. I grasped the knob and pulled it open to look at her concerned countenance.

"Yeah?" I said nonchalantly.

"Can we talk?"

I sighed, knowing what she wanted to talk about. I invited her in as I went and crawled onto my bed. Mom closed the door behind her.

"You were out late again tonight. Whatever could you be doing at such a time?" She asked with a small smile.

Again, I lifted my shoulders. Her face fell.

"You aren't getting into anything bad, right? I know how things have been lately with you, and I just want to make sure you're dealing with this the right way and not..." She stopped, crossing her arms over one another. "Doing something dangerous."

I snorted comically. "Like what, Mom? Drugs? Drinking? Seeing shitty chick flicks at the dollar theater all by myself to fill the void in my life?" I asked, a slight kidding tone. I smirked at her breathy laugh.

"I worry about you, Levi. I know things have been stressful for you lately and I know you miss Eren." My smirk dissipated and my face was now stoic, as usual.

"I'm fine, and also not stupid."

She sighed as she put a hand on my head, tousling my hair.

"You'd tell me if you were going to do something, right?" She asked, her voice going octaves lower and sounding saddened.

I didn't have the guts to speak, so I nodded mutely.

"Goodnight, Levi. I love you." Mom said as she turned around to leave.

"Love you too." I muttered before she shut my door. After, I flicked off my lamp and laid in my bed. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to not have to think about anything for a few hours. Instead, I stayed in bed and did just the opposite.

Eren

My feet swung back and forth, suspended in mid-air. I sat on the medical examination table as Dr. Carolina took her good time. I must have been here for a half hour, just me and my thoughts. How was Levi doing? Is he upset about me being missing? He had to have noticed by now. Is he angry? Is he upset? I wished I knew what he was doing now. Suddenly, the door opened. Dr. Carolina and an assistant stood just beyond the doorway. They stepped into the room and shut the door. There was a click of a lock and the nerves that had begun bunching in my stomach tightened.

"What's going on?" I asked with an angry undertone to my voice.

Dr. Carolina smiled lightly. "It's time to test your DNA, Eren! Isn't that great? We're making much faster progress than we thought we would." The assistant set down a box on the counter across from the metal slab I was perched on. I shook my head. No, this wasn't great. They still think my DNA has something special about it? The sound of the box opening reached my ears and the slap of plastic gloves against Dr. Carolina's hands got my attention. I assessed the strength of the assistant with my eyes and whether or not I could take both of them if I tried. I could find a medical instrument to use as a weapon. Maybe use the Doctor as a hostage of some sort. Demand they let me go, and I won't hurt her. The assistant turned around with something in his hand. Something I wanted no wear near me. A needle. My jade eyes widened and I backed up on the table like a caged animal.

"Wh-What are you doing with that?" I asked in a low, shaking voice.

"We need to take your DNA, silly!" Dr. Carolina chided. The assistant stepped closer, which made me move back.

"Don't." I warned. My body began to burn with anxiety. I'd never liked needles, but now I would do anything to get away from it.

"Oh, come on. It won't be so bad." She said with her hands up in front of her. The man grabbed my wrist tightly and I snapped.

"No!" I screamed. As my mind became hazy, I could just barely make out that the assistant and the doctor attempted to hold me down. I remember knocking the needle out of the man's hand and fighting back. My body buzzed with energy and heat. I felt like crawling out of my skin, like it was too small for me. "No!" My voice like the feral cry of an animal. More men came in to hold me down. The faint sound of bodies hitting the walls echoed in my head, then nothing.

As if I was shaking off a honey coating over my mind, I finally began to wake up. My body felt like it was made of lead. I tried to open my mouth to say something, but my tongue moved like molasses. A hazy face appeared over me while my eyes tried focusing.

"Eren? Are you waking up?" The man's voice seemed familiar and somewhat trustworthy.

"Marco?" I tried saying, but it came out in a jumbled mess.

"Don't try to talk. You were drugged. They had no other way of calming you down." Calming me down? I feel pretty calm now. But he said something about drugs. Was it the drugs making me feel like a soggy woolen coat? I didn't try to make sense of anything as my mind fell blank again.

I woke up again a few hours later, feeling much more like myself. No one was in my room when my eyes blinked open. Someone had been here with me, right? It was Marco, I think. I sat up much too fast and my head spun. Shaking it off, I tried remembering what the hell just happened. It all came back in a rush, making my head feel like a washing machine. I freaked out when they tried taking my DNA. I guess I still did have some fight left in me, even when I had decided there was no way out of this. I still fight for a reason, I suppose. Why? What is there to fight for? I want to live. I want to see my boyfriend again. My sister, friends. I need them all. Even the Horse-face. Tears stung my eyes. I have to keep fighting. I can't let them win. The drops rolled down my face.

I'll come out on top, I promise, Levi.


	14. Each Other's Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok i know this is so long overdue and im kicking myself for it but i've been through so much shit lately and i just didn't feel the motivation to write like at all. there's a lot in this chapter but i didn't feel like splitting it up but yeah here ya go its pretty bad but its something so yayyyyy! happy ending! thank you all for sticking by me when i have horrible commitment issues when it comes to writing im horrible im so sorry.
> 
> anywho, im thinking of maybe starting another ereri story when i get back to undating regularly so yaaaaaaa swag thanks again! :)))))

Uprising

Chapter 14: Each Other's Hope

Levi

I sat in the front seat of Erwin's land rover, dazing in and out of consciousness. I knew I should have gotten a shit ton of sleep last night so I could be sharp in today's mission, but I stayed up until two AM. I was just thinking about my plan of rescuing Eren. As selfish as it seemed, Eren always comes first. Yeah, if something happens to one of the others, I'll be sad, but my existence means nothing with his big, green eyes and messy brown hair. He's all I ever relive my life for. It's always been just him. I only ever live to make him happy in some way. That's just how my destiny is. I live long enough to meet Eren, then die with him. Always. That's how every life of mine ends. With him and I. Life was pretty much just a sick joke. A great weight fell into my stomach as I thought about how I can never live a long life with Eren. We always die in our late teens. I want to live longer. I want to have more memories in other lives. So, I'll try like I do every time to keep him safe no matter what. We're tied together somehow. I personally believe in the red string of fate, more or less. My theory is that if he lives, I can too.

"Levi?" Erwin's cool voice interrupted my thought process.

"Yes?"

"We're almost there." He said. My eyes fluttered open and glanced at the sun rising in the sky. It was such a beautiful scene when we were off to a massacre.

"Great." The only thing keeping me going was the thought of Eren. He didn't say anything else for a long while, so I let my eyes slip closed again.

He cleared his throat. "Are you scared?"

"What?" I sat up and wiped my eyes of the sleep. Now, more alert, I repeated that word.

"Are you scared?" He said, not flinching in the least. My eyes rolled on their own account. Was I? No, I don't believe I am.

"I'm not. Because I know the only two outcomes this could turn into." I had told Erwin my theory in other life times, but he usually doesn't remember me doing so. I repeat this conversation with him countless times.

"How so?" I began my explanation and he kept silent for a while.

"I know it's kind of far-fetched, and probably a dream, but I just feel like that's the only one that makes sense." I added. He was going to have a field day getting me to talk to him like this. I didn't care, it turned out like this in almost every life.

"That sounds kind of familiar, honestly." He replied with. "No matter what, protect Eren."

So, we continued to drive until we reached a building that looked completely desolate. No cars drove by, there was no lights in the windows, no movement in them either. It gave me the chills.

Those who drove the cars with the others parked across the street from it, so Erwin did as well.

I dialed Hanji's number. She answered in no time.

"What's up?" I said. She sighed.

"We go in through the side door, Marco will meet us there and let us in. Mikasa and Jean will go find Grisha, Marco and you will get Eren, and me and Erwin get the other kids. Then we all meet back here and if there's a problem, call or text Connie. He's driving the getaway van." I took in the information. It was time to get our hands dirty. I told everyone to make sure they had the weapons and supplies they chose back at the Kirsteins. Erwin had a brilliant idea before we left to wear ski masks. If they can't see our faces, no one can get traced. Because technically, we were breaking the law here.

"Levi?" Erwin voiced just as he was about to put his mask on. Mine over my head and covering my forehead, I stopped.

"Hm?"

"Be careful." He said with the saddest sounding voice I'd ever head out of his mouth.

"Same to you." We said no more as we put the masks over our faces and bolting from the car. Erwin went into the back seat and threw my duffle bag at me. I caught it with ease and slung it over my shoulder and across my chest so it was secure against my back. Hanging it over my arm would slow me down. That would certainly be a problem. I pulled out a handgun and clicked the safety off. It's always good to be prepared.

We all congregated behind a cement parking block a few feet away from the door. The men standing guard by the doors couldn't see us.

"Hanji!" I harshly whispered. When the fuck was she going to tell me there were guards.

"Marco never told me there were guards." She replied with an angry sigh. Was Marco setting us up for failure?

"We never should have trusted him." I grumbled.

"Maybe he didn't know there were going to be guards?" Jean suggested. He shook his head, a determined look appearing on his long face. "He wouldn't do that."

"You never know how people change over lives, Jean..." Erwin jumped in with. "Everyone stay calm, there has to be a way around this."

"Kill them?" Connie asked with the shake of his handgun. Mikasa pushed his hand down with a tired look. Connie smiled apologetically.

"No. We should avoid that at all costs." I said. Suddenly, the door behind the men opened and Marco stepped out.

"Hey, guys. Grisha says you can take a break now. I can stand guard until you come back." His voice echoed throughout the car park. The men looked at him oddly, but then shrugged and went inside anyways. Marco then began looking around.

"Jean? Levi?" He said. We all sighed with relief and stood up. He smiled and waved us over. "Sorry about them. They don't usually have guards out here, but the security system shut down, so Grisha found it necessary to put watchmen out here." He shrugged. Who knows what could happen without security, right?

Oh, yeah. This.

"Whatever. You pulled through, that's all that matters." I replied. We then went over the plan again, just because. Connie told them he'd be waiting with the van running. Put the kids in the van, and then all of us split.

Marco went inside first. When he deemed the coast clear, he opened the door for us. He turned to us and handed a long, folded paper to Erwin.

"That's the map to the other kid's rooms. They all should be there. There's five and they're all marked on the map. It's up two floors from here." Marco told them both in a hushed tone.

"Okay, we'll head out now." Erwin nodded. Hanji and him began sneaking down the hall, then disappeared probably to the stairs.

"Grisha's office is on this floor, not to far from here. If he's not in his office, wait there. He'll probably show up at some point. If you run into anyone, try knocking them out." Marco told Mikasa and Jean. They left, both pulling out a walkie-talkie to keep in contact with the rest of the group. We all had one.

"Come on, you two, lets go get Eren." Marco said, leading us down hallways. Things seemed tense, although there were no other people in sight.

"There's not many people in this place, is there?" Armin commented, keeping a hand on his side bag.

"Not really. It's not that large of a corporation, but they're powerful." Marco replied.

"If some shit goes down, you two get Eren out of here and leave me to deal with it." I told them without missing a beat. Marco turned around.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to die?" He asked with a concerned look.

"I know what I'm doing." I told him, urging him to go on. Armin sighed and shook his head.

"Fine. Only because we don't have much time." He began speeding towards the stairs and down them. We went through the back of this basement until there was a steel door with a padlock and a window. Marco looked through the window and growled a curse under his breath.

"What?" Armin asked.

"He's not in there. They're testing on him." He said apprehensively.

"I'll kill them all." I spat. We went through a pair of steel double doors and down towards rooms with numbers on them. Marco looked through small windows in the doors. Finally he looked at us and told us he was in that room, and that we should hurry.

"What're they doing?" Armin's voice shook, not really wanting to know.

"Did you know Eren had a perpetual fear of needles?" Marco asked either of us.

"I didn't..." I admitted, my eyes squinting with anger.

"Yeah... We don't know why." Armin said quietly.

"Well, every time they try to take his DNA and blood, he freaks out. He goes on a rampage until they administer drugs to knock him out. It's happened at least ten times this week." I was angry beyond belief they made him act like that, that they frighten him like that. It must be similar to torture.

"There's only one way to do this." I cocked my gun and reached for the door.

"Levi, wait-" I cut him off by slamming the door open. A woman with two black pigtails spun around with a surprised look. I pointed the gun at the two people hovering over a table.

"Alright, assholes. Let him go." I growled. Their hands went up.

"How did you get in here?!" The woman demanded.

"Easily. Now, back the fuck up." Armin moved next to me and shakily held his gun up. It didn't matter if he didn't look threatening, but just knowing he had a gun controlled them. Slowly and reluctantly, they stepped to the side of the room. And there he was. Eren was bound on the table with three different ropes. He was rigid as could be and kept his eyes squeezed shut tightly. I made sure I kept the gun pointed at them as I moved closer to the medical table. I nodded at Marco, who approached them and pistol whipped them both in the head until they'd passed out.

"Eren...?" I said as nicely as I could. His eyes shot open and he gasped and started to violently thrash at the ropes. He began to repeat the words "get me out" over and over again. Tears rolled down his hollow cheeks and I felt a brick form in my chest. I bolted to untie the binds. "I'm here, Eren." I muttered. A soon as the ropes were undone, I gathered him in my arms. It took him a minute to realize it was me, before he slowly relaxed in my grip. There was a small whine of my name muffled in my shoulder. My heart tore at the sight. It was a far shot, but I attempted lifting him bridal style. He was extremely light. "Did they not feed you in this shithole?" I asked myself. He stared at me with murky, half-lidded eyes. My mind started to comprehend his pale skin, sunken cheeks and grey bags under his dying eyes. Throat closing with unshed tears, I began hustling him out of the building.

"Marco, can we just run?" I asked the freckled kid while falling into a quick step with him.

"That would be kind of loud, don't you think?" Armin said, glancing at me from the side.

"They have to fucking know we're here by now." I hissed to him as I continued taking strides, all too aware of the motionless Eren slumped in my arms. At least he was still breathing. "I have to get him out of here." I insisted. We began up the stairs and on the main floor.

"Don't worry, Levi. We'll make it, just think positively." I wanted to scream 'how the fuck could I' when I was completely notified that I was probably going to die somehow here. I had just about given up trying every life time to make it all mean something. I was at my wits-fucking-end with trying to save Eren every life when it never works. Why was I till trying? There was a soft groan below. My eyes went down to see Eren's eyes opened the slightest, but it was painful for him. His lips parted to tell me something.

"Levi..." He croaked.

"I'm getting you out of here, okay?" I claimed, my brow hardening in a determined way.

"This life isn't any different, Lev." He smirked, my heart thudding against my chest at the nickname he called me so long ago. I very, very long time ago. My eyes widened as I locked my eyes onto his features.

"You remember...?" I whispered. A shallow sigh passed his nose.

"All of it. This isn't our time, dear." He leaned his head against my chest heavily, his short and weak breaths warming through my shirt. The weight of him on my arms served as a reminder of how real my love for him was. Eren was everything I ever and always will need. I tried because I will always have hope, as long as I have him.

"I can still try..." I muttered. Eren didn't move, so I assumed he had gone unconscious again. My radio buzzed to life as Mikasa's voice urgently told everyone to head for the meeting point. We all answered with agreement.

"Levi, is he okay?" Armin asked, staring at his limp friend. I didn't answer because I didn't know. I didn't even know what the hell was wrong with him, let alone his condition. "Levi!"

"I don't know!" I replied angrily.

"Oh, god..." Armin hissed to himself and continued to high tail it to the meeting point, following Marco's lead through look-alike hallways. Finally, there was a round circle of wall with several hallways extending off of it. The meeting point. We were the first to make it back.

"Do you think they're alright?" Marco asked. I shrugged, because how the hell should I know? We waited in patient silence, glancing at each and every hallway. The eery quiet was deafening, frightening, and looming. My stomach churned while blood rushed in my ears. Suddenly, there were footsteps coming quickly down one of the hallways. Mikasa and Jean busted in, breathing heavily. Jean had a cut on his forehead that dripped blood. Mikasa had bruises beginning to form on her eye, cheekbone and chest.

"I failed." Mikasa growled. "I couldn't kill him!"

"It's okay. Let's just focus on getting Eren out of here." I told her. Jean finally looked at Eren and stopped.

"Levi..." Jean whispered while staring at the drained Eren.

"We can get him help." I argued.

"Look at him! He's miserable! There's no way he's going survive-" Jean started before Mikasa shoved him.

"We aren't leaving him!" Mikasa cried. She's finally showed some emotion since the first time I met her.

"Shh!" Marco hushed as multitudes of footsteps came from a different hallway. Erwin, Hanji, and some other kids dressed like Eren followed. Everyone was here, we could haul ass out of this building.

"Shit!" A blond kid said as he stared at Eren. I turned my back, not liking people I didn't know gawking at him like a pity well.

"Let's get out of here." I told everyone. We began for the hallway that led to the door we came in.

"Freeze!" A loud, commanding voice boomed behind us. Suddenly, a group of men dressed in suits with large guns started running our way. We turned around and ran back the way we came. Men with dangerous weapons pointed at us, surrounded us inside the meeting point. I wasn't done. I laid Eren on the ground and put my hands up in mock surrender. Then my hands dove into my bag and pulled out a gun. I cocked it, everyone else pulled theirs out.

"Fight or flight." I told them. We pointed the guns and thus began one of the bloodiest battles I've seen in a while.

In a matter of time, bodies began piling around the room. One by one dropped like flies. People on our side died too. Jean got shot in the stomach. He was currently bleeding to death. The kids we attempted to rescue were too. The opposing side steered away from Eren because they needed him. Marco yelped in pain and tumbled to the ground. Then it was Armin. Mikasa was shot next. She stumbled backwards and stared blankly around her as she slid to the ground against a wall. Blood seeped out of her mouth as she stared at Eren with water filled eyes.

Boom; Hanji. Boom; Erwin. Eren and I were the only ones left. They ceased fire. Grisha walked in through the groups of armed men. I shakily held my gun, while holding Eren to my chest. I was so pissed. I hated this man.

"Levi. I don't have to kill you. Just give us Eren and we can pretend this never happened." He tried reasoning.

"All of my friends are dead." I hissed. "I can't just forget this!"

Grisha nodded his ego filled head and hummed in understanding. He produced a gun out of no where and held it just a few millimeters from my head. My pupils stared down the barrel. For a moment, I just didn't move. Time slowed, the gun clicked. Every time this happens, I still hope I could watch my life flash before my eyes. Every damn time. I want to see every moment I stared at Eren as if he was air and I was drowning. I wanted to see the look on his face when we kissed for the first time. But it never happened, and I don't think it ever will. The theory was entirely bullshit.

As Eren's father's finger began to curl, a sudden force knocked me backwards onto my back. A sound that rang in my ears discombobulated my brain. Faint breaths feathered my neck. Some large object weighed me down

"Oh, no." Someone hissed. "Shit!" They yelled angrily.

"Levi-" He whispered near my ear.

"No." My voice turned hard as I realized what happened. Eren knocked me back to take the bullet instead.

"Leave. I'm useless to them now." His voice continued to grow weaker and weaker. Tears stung my eyes and I began to sob silently. I thought this was our lifetime. I thought this was our nirvana, our lives together.

"I'm sorry." I sobbed in his ear.

"There was nothing you could do. It would have ended like this anyways." Eren sighed and chuckled painfully. I picked my trembling hands up and held his face between them. I brought his lips to mine somehow and kissed him hard. Tears rolled down past my ears and dripped on the floor as I felt cold and clammy lips connect with mine.

"One life, we'll have it." Eren whispered tiredly.

"We'll have our time." I paraphrased. Eren nodded, muttering how much he loves me. "You are my hope."

"I can't wait to fall in love with you again." Eren said, a short breath, then none at all. His heart stopped beating against my hollow chest. Squelching my eyes closed, more tears dropped. I hugged my arms around his neck and squeezed his still warm body.

"We have to start over." Grisha exclaimed, mad as ever. He stopped his ranting and stared at me, his eyes burning my shaking figure.

"Kill him." Grisha grumbled. I didn't argue, I didn't move. I waited patiently.

Imminent death was frightening, but losing your only love is always worse.

Excruciating pain exploded throughout my body.

~fin~

...

Just kidding B)

Eren

I crawled out of bed with the largest sound of protest. The warmth I craved left me, but the smell of coffee won out over all. I opened my door and stubbed my toe on a Barbie Dream Car. I let out a small sound of curses and moved the toy car out of the way.

"Dad says you can't say those words, Daddy." Alexandra told me with a mocking tone. She was five and as sassy as ever.

"Oh, I can, you can't." I told her, planting my fists on my hips.

"Why?" She asked, tilting her head. Alexandra was in the 'why' phase. She believed everything needed a reason. One day she'll realize not everything can be explained.

"Because I'm an adult." A cheesy smile slightly contradicted my words, knowing fully I was still childish sometimes.

"Will I be like you someday, Daddy?" Alexandra asked, amazed.

"Of course." I said, picking her up and putting her on my shoulders, moving towards the smell of freshly brewed caffeine. A tall, thin but slightly built man with black locks pushed back over a square patch of shaved hair peeking out. I smiled at the man standing near the coffee machine. He wore a white collared dress shirt and pressed, black pants. A royal blue tie hung down his chest.

"Good morning, Levi." I sang as I walked into the kitchen with our daughter on my shoulders. He looked up from the coffee cup in his hand and smiled at me

"Eren. How do you feel?" He asked, placing a pale hand over my forehead.

"Still kind of sick." I shrugged.

"You should stay home again." He tsked with a wary look in his icy blue eyes.

"Maybe." I smiled sadly. Levi precariously sipped the mug.

"Oh, and your mom called. She made some of her homemade potato and cheese soup and is having Mikasa bring it to you sometime today." I rolled my eyes and grumbled about how smothering she was. "Of course Mikasa is smothering. She loves you. Anyways, I'll take Alex to school today so you can get some rest. Oh, and your parents want to know what time we can come out to their house for your birthday On Sunday." Levi tossed me a sweet smile over his shoulder as he set a bowl of cereal in front of Alexandra.

I groaned. "When do you think its appropriate to stop celebrating birthdays?" I asked as I poured myself coffee, a wave of warmth hitting my face.

"Not sure, but definetly not 35."He snickered.

"Ugh, it sounds so old!" When I turned around, Levi caught me in an inescapable hug.

"I'm 37. How do you think I feel?" He breathed in my hair. I sighed and draped my arms around his waist. He kissed the side of my forehead and went to start his car. It was cold and muggy this month of March. Rain drizzled down the windows in the cloud covered sky, only getting a slightly brighter grey.

"Daddy, when are you going to teach me how to ride a bike?" Alexandra asked, shoveling a spoonful of Rice Krispies in her mouth. I ran my fingers through my dark, almost black, hair. It was a curly mess on my head.

"Well, when I start feeling better, I'll take the training wheels off and I'll teach you." She smiled and cheered a cute "yay". Levi came back in, an excited Alexandra ran around his feet, exclaiming about how she was learning how to ride a bike. He chuckled at me and I smiled.

"Alex, brush your teeth then we have to go, okay?" She ran down the hall way and into the bathroom.

"Jean and Marco called and asked when I wanted to celebrate my birthday with the group." I told him, sipping my mug.

"All of us? But it's not the same without Armin..." Levi scratched the shaved patch on the back of his cranium. I sighed and held the hot mug between my icy cold fingers.

"Well, he's studying abroad in India right now. It'd be too much to ask him to come back just for my birthday." I set my mug down onto the breakfast bar and carried Alexandra's bowl of cereal to the sink.

"You know for a fact he'd do it in a heartbeat." He spoke directly from behind me, making my heart jump into my throat. Ten years of marriage and he can still scare me like that.

"That's why I'm not going to ask him. Armin's really doing well, and I don't want to screw that up over something to minuscule." I spoke softly and let my eyes wonder to the dark window over the sink, where rain droplets ran down the pane and condensation gathered.

"You're always thinking of others over what you want." Levi stepped so his chest rested against my back before rubbing his hands up and down my arms, my hands resting on the edge of the sink.

"Is that bad?" I asked, surely hoping he didn't think so.

"Not really, but you deserves things too sometimes, you know?" He said before wrapping his somewhat broad arms around my shoulders and pressing a kiss to my cheek. Alexandra came dashing in with her little blue book bag bouncing against her back with each excited step. I didn't answer, so he spun me around and kissed me delicately on the lips. "I have to go, but I'll be home later." Levi backed away, myself already missing his warmth.

"Have a good day." I told him.

"Goodbye, Daddy!" Alexandra squealed while running towards me. I bent down and grappled her into a hug and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Make some friends at school today, okay?" I laughed.

"I will." She replied before heading for the car. Levi smiled dearly at me before shutting the door behind him.

A week later, Levi and I left Alexandra at home with the babysitter and traveled over to Jean and Marco's house. We held hands as we stopped in front of the door. I noticed an proud smile on Levi's face, and I wondered what he could be up to.

"Levi?" I said as he rang the doorbell.

"Hmm?" He hummed in response, not looking at me. How horrid could one person be at lying?

"What's going on?" I asked suspiciously, narrowing my emerald eyes at him?

"What do you mean?" His voice went up a few notches as he finally looked at me.

"You know how terrible you are at lying so dont think you can-" I was cut off abruptly by the door swinging open and loud asshole with a stupid haircut and wearing one of the most godawful sweaters I'd ever seen shot forward and pulled Levi and I into a hug.

"My favorite gay couple!" Jean shouted, barking a laugh. I slowly brought up my arm and patted his back awkwardly. We'd technically been friends for a while, but the amount of times we get under each others skin cannot be healthy.

"Hey, Jean." I replied, giggling nervously.

"Jean, get off of them." Marco chided behind Horseface with a childlike smile on his features. Jean backed up but stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend. "Well come on in, guys. Everyone else is already here." The freckled face turned to look at Levi. My husband smirked at me from his peripherals.

"Come on, birthday boy." Jean grabbed my shirt collar and yanked, pulling me through the doorway. I sighed as Marco shut the door behind us and gave me an apologetic look while Jean headed into the living room to announce our arrival. Conversation floated through the hallway while Levi helped me get my jacket off. Once they were both hung on the coat rack, we ventured into the living room.

"Hey guys." I greeted them all. Hanji sat next to Erwin, who were both sipping some kind of red wine from a glass. Hanji's eyes lit up and she stood, bounding towards Levi and I. She jumped and hugged me first, then moving onto Levi.

"Happy birthday, you old man! Say, where's your walker?" She joked, laughing at her own joke while I stared at her, as straight faced as ever. Levi just shook his head. "What? I thought it was funny!" She tried defending herself.

"You also think Erwin is funny." Levi grumbled.

"Don't bring me into this." Erwin chuckled with a smile that crinkled at the edges of his watery blue eyes. "And good to see you too, Levi."

"Eren! Do you feel any older?" Connie shouted across the room, a glass of white wine held between his fingers.

"Not more so than usual." I shrugged. He laughed and took a sip. Mikasa stood from her spot and gave me a warm hug.

"Happy Birthday, little brother." She sighed and planted her hands on my shoulders.

"Oh, if only Armin were here!" Levi shouted dramatically. My eyebrows furrowed while everyone in the room just stared at him. Levi's eyes snapped to Marco. Marco's face turned to one of recognition. Suddenly, he left the room, saying he thought he heard the timer for the food go off. I didn't hear anything though.

"Eren." Levi grabbed my wrists and pulled me to look at him. He smiled endearingly while he let his thumbs rub circles on the backs of my hands. "I haven't given you my gift yet." I rolled my eyes because he knows how I feel about gifts for any event.

"Levi, what do I tell you every year-"

"Stop talking, and accept my labors you little shit." Levi groaned.

"But you know I don't like you spending money on me." I argued, sincerely guilty.

"This didn't cost any money." He said with a knowing smile. I did a double take. Was it okay if it didn't cost anything? Suddenly, he spun me around and someone I almost didn't recognize stood in front of me. He was still the same height as I remembered, but his skin was insanely sunkissed from UV exposure. His extremely light blonde hair was long and in a messy ponytail. Bright, happy blue eyes stared at me. My face turned into something like excitement.

"Happy Birthday, Er." Armin smiled. I threw my arms around him.

"Armin! Oh my god, how are you here?" I asked.

"Levi called me in India and told me that I should come down for your birthday. I wasn't going to deny it, was I?"

"But... Your studies..." I pulled back and stared at him with concern. He waved it off with a scoff.

"It'll be there when I get back." I giggled and hugged him tightly. Chatter erupted in the room from all of our friends. I stood back and began catching up with Armin, laughing and smiling until my cheeks hurt.

"Okay, everyone! Food's ready!" Marco called. People began filtering into the dining room, but I pulled Levi back to talk to him. I pulled him close and kissed him.

"Thank you." I whispered against his lips.

"I knew you'd like it, even though you told me not to." He chuckled. "Oh, and I know you may hate me, but I did get you something else." I leaned back and slapped him against the shoulder. He scoffed. "And you're going to accept it even if I have to knock you out and put it on you while you lay out cold on the floor."

"Levi!" I chastised. He pulled out a long, purple velvet jewelry box. I shook my head. What the hell was he thinking? He snapped it open and a silver bracelet caught the light. It was a chain until the middle where there was a long band that held a red gem. It was gorgeous and it was hard to say I didn't want it. "Oh my god..." I breathed.

"But wait, there's more." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. I looked back up at him in confusion. I didn't think I could handle anymore. His slender fingers wrapped around the chain and pulled it from the box. Overturning it, there was an inscription under the the band. It said "You are my hope" in beautiful script. Tears welled in my eyes, the saying meaning more to me than I could have imagined. I wasn't sure why, but it hit me right in my fast beating heart. Looking up through the moisture in my lashes, Levi stared into my eyes with the most adoration and love I'd ever seen in one place. Once the band was clasped around my wrist, I threw myself into his chest.

"I love you so much." I whispered, hoping he heard it.

"And, I love you."

THE REAL END


End file.
